Denmark's prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said on Thursday that any talks with the United States over Greenland must respect Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty, striking a careful but firm tone as Europe cautiously welcomed President Donald Trump's retreat from tariff threats and talk of force. "We can negotiate security, investment, the economy," Frederiksen said. "But we cannot negotiate our sovereignty."
Her comments came after Trump said a "framework of a future deal" had emerged following discussions with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos, easing weeks of escalating rhetoric that had pushed transatlantic relations toward their deepest crisis in decades. Frederiksen said she had been reassured that the talks did not involve compromising Denmark's or Greenland's territorial integrity.
Copenhagen has signaled openness to deeper cooperation on Arctic security, including US-led missile defense initiatives, but only within clear political limits. Frederiksen stressed that Denmark wants a constructive dialogue with allies to strengthen security in the rapidly changing Arctic, where melting ice is opening new shipping routes and intensifying competition among major powers.
Rutte echoed that message in Davos, saying NATO allies were now focused on ensuring that neither China nor Russia gains undue economic or military influence in Greenland or elsewhere in the Arctic. Trump, meanwhile, abruptly backed away from threats to impose tariffs or seize the island, stepping down from weeks of aggressive language that had alarmed European capitals.
Across Europe, leaders welcomed the de-escalation, but warily. Several praised renewed dialogue while warning that trust had been shaken and details still mattered. As one German leader put it, the transatlantic partnership should not be written off lightly, but neither can Europe afford to relax. For Denmark, the message was clear: cooperation is on the table, but Greenland's sovereignty is not.