Trump reprimands Denmark’s prime minister for 45 minutes over Greenland
US media reported that US President Donald Trump sharply criticized Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during a phone call that lasted about 45 minutes, which took place in mid-January 2025, and focused on the future of the island of Greenland.
According to reports, the call saw a tense discussion between the two sides about the island’s strategic position, but Frederiksen in her first comment refrained from revealing the details of the dialogue, saying only that contacts between the leaders should remain within private diplomatic frameworks.
In a subsequent televised statement, the Danish prime minister stressed that Greenland’s fate rested with its people, expressing her hope that all parties, including the United States, would respect the island’s right to make its own decisions.
In a subsequent development, Trump announced on January 21, 2026, following talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, that he had reached what he described as a framework of understanding regarding Greenland’s future.
US reports made it clear that Rutte’s proposal does not include the transfer of full sovereignty over the island from Denmark to the United States, but rather focuses on updating the 1951 Mutual Defense Agreement signed between Washington and Copenhagen, which allowed the Americans to establish military bases and defense zones in Greenland when necessary and with NATO approval.
In the same context, Washington recently announced the dispatch of military planes to Greenland in coordination with the Danish government, in a move described as part of the existing defense arrangements between the two countries.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, while the United States and Denmark have been bound by a defense treaty since 1951, which commits Washington to participate in protecting the island from potential threats, as well as both parties’ commitment to NATO arrangements.
