Copenhagen, May 9, 2025 — Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has announced that the acting US ambassador to Denmark will be summoned for urgent talks following reports that American intelligence agencies were instructed to spy on Greenland’s independence movement and assess the island’s mineral wealth.
The move comes after a Wall Street Journal article alleged that US spy agencies had been directed to shift their focus toward Greenland — an autonomous territory of Denmark — amid renewed interest from former President Donald Trump in acquiring the island.
Trump has previously expressed intentions to take control of Greenland, even suggesting military force could be used if necessary.
“It worries me greatly because we do not spy on friends,” Rasmussen said during an EU foreign ministers meeting in Warsaw. He added that the report was “somewhat disturbing” and demanded clarity from Washington.
“We are going to call in the US acting ambassador for a discussion at the foreign ministry to see if we can confirm this information,” he told reporters.
While the White House and intelligence agencies have not confirmed or denied the allegations, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard strongly criticized the Journal for what she described as a politically motivated leak.
“They are attempting to undermine President Trump by politicizing and leaking classified information,” she said. Gabbard went further, accusing the newspaper of “breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy.”
Despite these denials, Danish officials remain skeptical. “It doesn’t seem to be strongly rejected by those who speak out. That worries me,” Rasmussen remarked.
The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) declined to comment directly on the report but acknowledged that they had “naturally” taken note of increased international interest in Greenland.
The agency noted that such attention raises the risk of espionage activities targeting both Greenland and Denmark. The latest controversy adds to escalating tensions between Denmark and the United States over Greenland.
Earlier this year, US Vice-President JD Vance made a surprise visit to a remote American military base in Greenland, drawing sharp criticism from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
She described the visit as “completely unacceptable pressure on Greenland, Greenlandic politicians and the Greenlandic population.”
Greenland, the world’s largest island, has been under Danish control for around three centuries. While it governs its own domestic affairs, Copenhagen retains authority over foreign and defense policy.
The island has long been of strategic interest to the United States, particularly because of its location in the Arctic and its reserves of rare earth minerals.
President Trump’s repeated assertions about acquiring Greenland have drawn fierce opposition from both Danish and Greenlandic leaders. During a recent interview with NBC News, Trump said, “We need Greenland very badly… I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything.”
In a separate interview with the BBC, former President Joe Biden condemned Trump’s proposals, including past calls to reacquire the Panama Canal and make Canada the 51st US state. “What the hell’s going on here?” Biden said. “That’s not who we are.”
Surveys consistently show that while many Greenlanders support eventual independence from Denmark, they overwhelmingly reject the idea of joining the United States.