OSLO, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Thursday that recent remarks from the White House indicate negotiations with the United States over Greenland will be "really, really difficult," while rejecting claims that Denmark has agreed to discuss a U.S. takeover of the Arctic territory.
Rasmussen made the comments after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said U.S., Danish and Greenlandic representatives had agreed to establish a working group to continue technical discussions on the "acquisition" of Greenland following talks in Washington, D.C.
Rasmussen told Danish broadcaster TV 2 that Denmark had not agreed to establish any technical group to discuss how the United States could acquire Greenland.
He said the proposed working group is intended to explore whether and how Denmark and Greenland can address U.S. security concerns in the Arctic, but only within the limits of Denmark's and Greenland's stated positions.
Leavitt, speaking at a White House briefing on Thursday, reiterated that U.S. President Donald Trump wants the country to take control of Greenland, saying that the creation of a working group would allow talks to continue.
The dispute follows a high-level meeting on Wednesday involving Rasmussen, Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. After the meeting, Danish and Greenlandic officials said that major differences remained, but they were prepared to continue dialogue through a working-level mechanism.
Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining control over defense and foreign policy. The United States maintains a military base on the island. Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to "obtain" Greenland and has recently ramped up his threat. ■