Denmark has summoned the U.S. chargé d’affaires in Copenhagen after reports that people connected to Donald Trump were carrying out covert influence operations in Greenland, a move that adds fresh friction to an already strained relationship over the Arctic territory.
According to ABC News Australia’s report, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark would be unacceptable. He said he had asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon the U.S. diplomat for a meeting and stressed that cooperation between Denmark and Greenland remains close and based on mutual trust.
The report said Danish public broadcaster DR had described alleged efforts by at least three Americans connected to Trump to build contacts, compile names of Trump supporters in Greenland and identify people opposed to him. One of the people was said to have gathered material that could be used to portray Denmark negatively in U.S. media. DR said it had eight sources but had not been able to determine whether the Americans were acting on their own or on someone else’s instructions.
The Danish security service said Greenland is currently a target for influence campaigns of different kinds that could exploit existing disagreements or amplify certain views about Denmark, the United States or other interested states. That warning fits a broader pattern in which the Arctic island has become a geopolitical flashpoint, not just for mineral and security reasons but also for political messaging and influence.
The U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen referred questions to Washington, according to the report. ABC also noted that the Associated Press could not independently confirm DR’s allegations. That matters because the story rests on claims from Danish media and official reactions rather than direct public evidence from U.S. authorities.
Even so, the diplomatic reaction was swift because Greenland remains politically sensitive. Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in U.S. jurisdiction over the island, which is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Denmark and Greenland have both said the island is not for sale, and Copenhagen clearly views any covert activity there through the lens of national sovereignty.
The episode underlines how Greenland has moved from a niche Arctic policy issue to a recurring test of transatlantic trust. With the U.S., Denmark and Greenland all attentive to the island’s strategic location, even unconfirmed allegations of influence activity now have the power to trigger formal diplomatic confrontation.
