NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says the status of Greenland did not arise in his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, as Trump stepped back from tariff threats and ruled out using force to take control of the territory.
Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that the question of whether Greenland would remain with Denmark "did not come up" in his meeting with President Donald Trump.
He made the remarks in an interview on Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier, hours after Trump abruptly shifted tone on the dispute.
Earlier in the day, Trump moved away from threats to impose tariffs as leverage to seize the island, ruled out the use of military force and said a deal was close to ending the standoff over the Danish territory.
After meeting Rutte, he said Western Arctic allies could reach a framework that would satisfy U.S. aims for a "Golden Dome" missile-defence system and secure access to critical minerals, while stopping Russia and China from expanding their Arctic ambitions.
Trump has previously argued that Washington must own Greenland to prevent either power from gaining influence over the strategically located and minerals-rich island, which houses a U.S. airbase and is an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Rutte was asked in the Fox News interview whether Greenland would still be "under the Kingdom of Denmark in this framework deal".
"That issue did not come up anymore in my conversations tonight with the president," Rutte explained.
He said Trump was focused on how to protect "that huge Arctic region" amid what he described as growing Russian and Chinese activity.
Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly said the island is not for sale. Both countries are NATO members.
Trump’s broader foreign policy has been cast by some experts as imperialist in nature, reflecting concerns that his approach to Greenland is part of a wider strategic push.
European diplomats said Trump’s shift in tone eased some immediate tension but did not resolve the dispute, warning that allies still faced difficult negotiations over Greenland.
Denmark said the matter should be handled through private diplomacy, with Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen stressing the need for “respect for the integrity and sovereignty of the kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination”.
Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares urged the European Union to move towards a joint army as a deterrence measure, saying “a joint effort would be more efficient than 27 separate national armies” and that Europe “will not let itself be coerced militarily or economically”.
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday (3 June) that ongoing discussions with Denmark and Greenland over the use of the island for collective defence are “in a good place.”
Denmark’s Social Democratic leader Mette Frederiksen said on Monday (1 June) she has agreed to form a new centre-left coalition government, securing a third consecutive term as prime minister amid heightened diplomatic tensions with the United States over Greenland.
European Union leaders were set to discuss the bloc’s mutual assistance clause at a summit in southern Cyprus on Thursday, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of traditional allies raises concerns over his commitment to NATO.
Greenland’s prime minister has appointed his predecessor to oversee foreign affairs, as pressure from Washington intensifies over the Arctic island’s future.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Niño, warning the climate pattern is likely to drive higher global temperatures and intensify extreme weather in the months ahead.
Iran and the U.S. have concluded indirect talks in Doha without a major breakthrough, with discussions focused on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and frozen Iranian funds. Both sides are expected to meet again after the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Eight Buddhist monks were killed and more than 20 others injured after an 11-year-old boy driving his parents' pickup truck ploughed into a religious procession in north-eastern Thailand, police said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on the 250th anniversary of American independence, saying Russia and the United States share a special responsibility for maintaining global security as the world's two largest nuclear powers.
China said on Saturday it had launched a coast guard patrol east of Taiwan, prompting a strong protest from Taipei, which accused Beijing of illegally expanding its authority and undermining regional stability.
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