OSLO – Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed outrage on Friday following media reports alleging that the United States plans to intensify spying activities in Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory long eyed by U.S. President Donald Trump for its strategic and resource-rich value. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that U.S. intelligence agencies had been instructed to gather more information on Greenland’s independence movement and local sentiment toward American resource exploitation, including identifying individuals in both Greenland and Denmark who support U.S. objectives. “Of course, you cannot spy against an ally,” Frederiksen told reporters during a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) coalition meeting in Oslo.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen had already raised the issue with U.S. officials, referring to the reports as “rumours” but nonetheless taking them seriously. In response, the U.S. Embassy’s charge d’affaires in Denmark, Jennifer Hall Godfrey, was summoned to the Danish Foreign Ministry on Thursday, where she was issued a stern message. “We cannot tolerate people spying on each other.
This message was sent very clearly today,” said Løkke in a national broadcast. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also condemned the alleged activities, calling them “completely unacceptable” and “disrespectful.” Tensions between the U.S. and Denmark over Greenland have been simmering since President Trump repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring the Arctic island, citing its strategic importance and vast natural resources. Trump has maintained that American control over Greenland is essential for national security, refusing to rule out the use of force to secure it.