Denmark Summons U.S. Diplomat Over Alleged Covert Influence Operations in Greenland
Denmark has summoned Washington’s top envoy in Copenhagen after reports alleged that American citizens have been conducting covert operations in Greenland aimed at fostering secession from Denmark and eventual annexation by the United States.
The move came after Danish broadcaster DR reported that unidentified Americans had attempted to infiltrate Greenlandic society, compiling lists of locals sympathetic to U.S. control of the Arctic island. The broadcaster could not confirm who the operatives were working for.
Danish intelligence services have long warned that Greenland—a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark—is vulnerable to “influence campaigns” by foreign powers.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen confirmed that Mark Stroh, the U.S. chargé d’affaires and Washington’s senior representative in Denmark, had been summoned.
“Any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark will of course be unacceptable,” Rasmussen said in a statement to the BBC, adding that Denmark was aware of ongoing foreign interest in Greenland and expected “outside attempts to influence the future of the Kingdom” to continue.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of repeated U.S. interest in Greenland. Former President Donald Trump has openly declared his desire to annex the territory, at one point saying he would not rule out seizing it by force.
Vice-President JD Vance has also accused Denmark of neglecting Greenland’s development.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, during a visit to Greenland earlier this year, bluntly warned Washington: “You cannot annex another country.”
Denmark’s security and intelligence service PET recently assessed that foreign influence campaigns in Greenland are designed to sow discord between Copenhagen and Nuuk.
Such efforts, it said, could involve “traditional influence agents” on the ground or disinformation campaigns online. PET announced it had strengthened its presence in Greenland and was working closely with local authorities.
This is not the first time Denmark has raised concerns with the U.S. In May, Rasmussen summoned American diplomats following a Wall Street Journal report that U.S. intelligence agencies had been instructed to intensify their focus on Greenland’s independence movement and its vast mineral resources.
At the time, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard did not deny the report, instead accusing the Journal of “breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy.”
The latest revelations have unsettled Denmark, a founding member of NATO and a close U.S. ally, where many see Washington’s ambitions over Greenland as a direct threat to sovereignty.
DR’s latest report detailed how one American visitor to Nuuk was allegedly attempting to recruit Greenlanders for a U.S.-backed secessionist movement.
While the U.S. has yet to formally comment on the allegations, the claims have deepened unease in Copenhagen about Washington’s determination to extend its influence over the strategically vital Arctic territory.
