European countries were sending small numbers of military personnel to Greenland as Denmark and its allies prepared for exercises to try to assure US President Donald Trump of its security as he pushes to acquire the island.
A meeting of officials from the United States, Denmark and Greenland avoided the type of public humiliation meted out to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last year, but also produced no quick fix for the dispute.
“The American ambition to take over Greenland is intact,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a written comment to Reuters on Thursday, describing a “fundamental disagreement”.
“That is, of course, serious, and therefore we continue our efforts to prevent this scenario becoming a reality.”
Trump has said the strategically located and mineral-rich island is vital to US security and that the US must own it to prevent Russia or China occupying it.
MHe has said all options are on the table for securing the territory, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
He says Denmark cannot ward off Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic region.
Russia said Nato’s talk of Moscow and Beijing being a threat to Greenland was a myth designed to whip up hysteria and warned of the dangers of escalating confrontation in the region.
Still, any attempt to ignore Russia’s interests in the Arctic would not go unanswered, a foreign ministry spokeswoman later said.
There is currently little evidence that a large number of Chinese and Russian ships sail near Greenland’s coasts.
Greenland and Denmark say the island is not for sale, that threats of force are reckless, and security concerns should be resolved among allies.
