Denmark has summoned the acting U.S. ambassador, Jennifer Hall Godfrey, over reports suggesting that the United States is ramping up espionage activities in Greenland. The meeting took place in Copenhagen on Thursday and included a representative from Greenland’s government.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the focus was on a recent Wall Street Journal article titled “U.S. Orders Intelligence Agencies to Step Up Spying on Greenland.” According to the report, U.S. intelligence agencies have been instructed to identify individuals in Greenland and Denmark who support American interests concerning the Arctic island.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, emphasized that the Danish government expressed its concerns directly to the United States. “The purpose of the meeting was to make the Kingdom’s position completely clear. It is our impression that the acting ambassador took that seriously,” Rasmussen told reporters. He also noted that the accuracy of the article’s claims was not confirmed during the meeting.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, strongly condemned the alleged espionage. “Spying in Nuuk by the U.S. is completely unacceptable. It’s disrespectful to an ally and entirely abnormal,” Nielsen said in an interview with Danish broadcaster DR.
Greenland, once a Danish colony, became part of the Kingdom of Denmark in 1953. It gained home rule in 1979, granting it greater autonomy, though Denmark still handles its foreign affairs and defense.
