By Terje Solsvik and Kanishka Singh
OSLO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Denmark agreed on Friday to discuss the Arctic region with Washington, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said, after his first phone call with the top diplomat of the administration of President Donald Trump, who wants control of Greenland.
Rasmussen and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a 20-minute conversation in a “good and constructive tone”, discussing Ukraine, European security and the situation in the Middle East, the Danish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The State Department said late on Friday that Rubio had “reaffirmed the strength of the relationship” between the two countries in the call.
Trump has expressed an interest in making Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, part of the United States. He has not ruled out using military or economic power to persuade Denmark to hand it over.
Greenland’s strategic location along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for the U.S. ballistic missile warning system, has made it a priority for Trump.
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, on Jan. 15 said she had spoken on the phone with Trump and told him that it is up to Greenland itself to decide on any independence.
The Financial Times reported on Friday that last week’s call between Frederiksen and Trump was fiery, with Trump insisting he was serious about his determination to take over Greenland. The paper cited European officials. Trump took office on Jan. 20.
“Arctic security was not on the agenda, but it was agreed that it will be discussed between the United States, Denmark and Greenland at a later date, the Danish ministry said on Friday.
Greenland’s prime minister, Mute Egede, who has stepped up a push for independence, has repeatedly said the island is not for sale and that it is up to its people to decide their future.
While Trump had aired the possibility of taking over Greenland in 2019, during his first term in the White House, his refusal to rule out the use of military or economic power has caught many Danes by surprise.
