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Foreign ministers

Denmark's Foreign Minister Summons US Diplomat Amid Covert Influence Operations in Greenland

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Denmark's foreign minister summoned the top US diplomat in the country over intelligence reports of US citizens conducting covert influence operations in Greenland. Three people with connections to Donald Trump's administration have been working to infiltrate the semi-autonomous territory and promote its secession from Denmark to the US, according to the Danish public broadcaster DR. The alleged covert operation involves compiling lists of US-friendly Greenlanders, collecting names of people opposed to Trump, and nurturing contacts with politicians, businesspeople, and locals.

Key Takeaways:

  • At least three people with connections to Donald Trump's administration have been working to infiltrate Greenland and promote its secession from Denmark to the US.
  • The alleged covert operation involves compiling lists of US-friendly Greenlanders, collecting names of people opposed to Trump, and nurturing contacts with politicians, businesspeople, and locals.
  • Danish intelligence has warned that Greenland was being targeted by "various kinds of influence campaigns" that were trying to "create discord in the relationship between Denmark and Greenland."
  • Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed an interest in expanding the US military presence on the island, including installing radars to monitor the waters between the island, Iceland, and Britain.
  • Greenland lies along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for the US ballistic missile warning system.
  • Mark Stroh, the charge d'affaires, currently leads the US mission in Copenhagen, which is due to be replaced by Ken Howery, the new US ambassador to Denmark.
  • Trump has not ruled out the use of force to acquire Greenland and has insisted that it is a matter of "international security."

Statistics:

  • 57,000: The population of Greenland.
  • 3: The number of people with connections to Donald Trump's administration involved in the alleged covert operation.
  • 2: The number of US-friendly Greenlanders allegedly evaluated by one of the individuals involved in the operation.

Sources:

  • DR (Danish public broadcaster)
  • Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Denmark's foreign minister

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