Denmark, Greenland PMs to hold talks with Rubio in Munich
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen (left) and Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the Prime Minister's Office in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Jan 13, 2026. (File photo: Reuters/Liselotte Sabroe)
MUNICH: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen will discuss Greenland with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Friday (Feb 13) on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, they said.
Since returning to the White House last year, US President Donald Trump has argued that Washington needs to control Greenland - an autonomous Danish territory - for American national security.
"There will be a relatively brief meeting with the (Greenlandic) prime minister, the (Danish) prime minister, and the American secretary of state, where I hope and believe they'll confirm that the process we've started is a good one and should continue," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Danish media as he arrived at the conference.
Last month, Trump backed down from his threats to seize Greenland after striking a "framework" deal with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence.
A US-Denmark-Greenland working group has been established to discuss Washington's security concerns in the Arctic, but details have not been made public.
A first meeting has already taken place, and a second one is due soon, Rasmussen said.
"It could well be difficult, but it's important to pursue that course, and I hope - believe - that the brief meeting later today with the US secretary of state will confirm it."
Nielsen confirmed he would be taking part in Friday's meeting with Rubio.
"We have planned a meeting with Marco Rubio," he told Danish television TV2.
"We have been at the heart of a major debate on security in our region, and from the outset we said that we were ready to assume our share of responsibility in this regard," he said upon his arrival at the Munich conference.
NATO has launched a mission in the Arctic in which Denmark is participating, notably by providing F-35 fighter jets, the Danish defence ministry said.
In Munich, Frederiksen reiterated her call for Europe to increase its defence at a time when the US is disengaging.
"The Americans have been very honest - from Trump's inauguration speech to a new security strategy and a new defence strategy, the threats against Greenland - everything points in one direction, namely that the US, unfortunately, is moving away" from Europe, she said.
