(Reuters) – Denmark has sent private messages to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s team expressing a willingness to discuss strengthening security in Greenland or increasing the U.S. military presence there without claiming the island, Axios reported on Saturday, citing two sources.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, has described US control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, as an “absolute necessity”. He did not rule out the potential use of military or economic means, including tariffs against Denmark.
Axios said the Danish government wanted to convince Trump that his security concerns could be solved without claiming Greenland.
A spokesman for Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for comment on the Axios report.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said earlier this week that she had sought a meeting with Trump but did not expect it to happen before his inauguration. Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede also said he was ready to talk to Trump, but called for respect for the island’s aspirations for independence.
Denmark previously said that Greenland is not for sale.
