US ambassador to be summoned by Denmark over Greenland spying report

Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen announced plans to summon the US ambassador in response to a recent report that American intelligence agencies have been instructed to intensify spying on Greenland.

Rasmussen, speaking from a EU ministers’ meeting in Warsaw, described the claims as “somewhat disturbing” and said Denmark would seek clarification directly from the US diplomatic mission.

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“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 said. “It doesn’t seem to be strongly rejected by those who speak out. That worries me.”

According to an article published by The Wall Street Journal, American spy agencies were recently instructed to shift focus toward Greenland, especially in regard to its independence movement and the US’s interest in the island’s mineral resources. The report suggests the move is part of a broader campaign by President Donald Trump to secure US control over Greenland.

In response, the US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a strong rebuke of the Journal, accusing it of undermining President Trump.

“The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the President by politicizing and leaking classified information. They are breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy,” Gabbard said. She did not deny the article’s contents.

Denmark’s domestic intelligence service, PET, declined to comment directly on the report but confirmed to local media that it had taken notice of US interest in Greenland. The agency also acknowledged that international attention on Greenland has led to increased espionage threats against both the island and Denmark.

Greenland, home to roughly 56,000 people, holds strategic value due to its Arctic location and abundant natural resources. The island is increasingly viewed as a geopolitical flashpoint, with growing interest from major powers including the US, China, and Russia.

President Trump has made no secret of his desire to assert American control over Greenland, raising the possibility of using military force. “I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything,” Trump told NBC News in a recent interview. “We need Greenland very badly. Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of, and we’ll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security.”

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In a speech before Congress in March, he reiterated that “one way or the other, we’re going to get it.”

Tensions escalated further when US Vice President JD Vance made an unannounced visit to a remote US military base in Greenland earlier this year. The trip was condemned by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who called it “completely unacceptable pressure on Greenland, Greenlandic politicians, and the Greenlandic population.”