Rubio said technical talks between the United States, Denmark and Greenland are underway, signaling a new phase of diplomacy aimed at narrowing differences over an Arctic security arrangement. Speaking Wednesday, Rubio said a working group created after earlier meetings would begin operating immediately, and that the effort would proceed as “a regular process” rather than episodic negotiations driven by renewed political flare-ups.
Rubio described the start of the working group as something that began “today,” adding during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that officials would try to avoid turning each round of discussions into what he called “a media circus.” He said the goal was to create “more flexibility” for both sides as they try to reach “a positive outcome.”
Denmark’s foreign ministry said the Wednesday talks focused on “how we can address U.S. concerns about security in the Arctic while respecting the red lines of the Kingdom.” The ministry’s “red lines,” Rubio’s statement and the AP report said, refer to Greenland’s sovereignty.
The working group was created after a Washington meeting earlier this month that included Vice President J.D. Vance and Rubio with Denmark and Greenland officials. The AP report tied the creation of the group to the fallout from President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the United States to take over Greenland, a Danish territory, in order to counter threats he has cited from Russia and China.
Greenland, Denmark and European allies have forcefully rejected the takeover calls, and the issue has roiled relations between Washington and Europe. Trump renewed threats in recent weeks to annex Greenland, which NATO is described as treating as part of alliance cohesion given the island’s strategic position, and European pushback has been followed by steps affecting U.S.-European trade relations.
The AP report said Trump announced new tariffs on Denmark and seven other European countries after they opposed his Greenland takeover calls, but later abruptly dropped the threats after what was described as a “framework” for a deal involving U.S. access to the mineral-rich island, reached with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s help. Few details of that framework deal have emerged, and Rubio on Wednesday said he was working to downplay the broader strain.
In late-week diplomacy, Trump also told associates at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the possibility of using American military force to acquire Greenland would be taken off the table, according to the AP report. The AP report said Trump later backed off the tariff threats and softened his language after Wall Street losses, framed as concerns that the Greenland push could spur a trade war and disrupt NATO, a 32-member transatlantic military alliance described as a linchpin of post-World War II security.
Rubio said Wednesday that the U.S. had “a little bit of work to do” but expected to reach a resolution, telling lawmakers, “I think we’re going to wind up in a good place.” He also said, “you’ll hear the same from our colleagues in Europe very shortly,” as he sought to characterize the diplomatic situation as moving toward alignment.
During the hearing, Rubio faced a question from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., about Trump repeatedly referring to Greenland as Iceland while at Davos. Rubio responded that Kaine’s characterization reflected what he said was a verbal mistake, telling the senator, “Yeah, he meant to say Greenland, but I think we’re all familiar with presidents that have verbal stumbles.” Rubio added, “We’ve had presidents like that before. Some made a lot more than this one.”