Denmark summons US diplomat over Greenland spying allegations

Denmark has summoned the top US diplomat in the country on Thursday after an article published in the Wall Street Journal reported that Washington had stepped up its intelligence gathering efforts in Greenland.

Jennifer Hall Godfrey, the acting head of the US Embassy in Copenhagen, met with high-ranking Danish diplomat Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen at the Danish Foreign Ministry after the Journal article was published on Tuesday, the ministry said in an email.

The paper reported that several high-ranking US officials serving under the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had “issued a ‘collection emphasis message’ to intelligence agency heads”, who were subsequently directed to look into Greenland’s independence movement and examine the sentiment around US resource extraction in the Danish territory.

Speaking to public broadcaster DR on Wednesday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said his government would summon the US diplomat to seek a “rebuttal” or other explanation following the report.

Rasmussen, who has previously scolded the Trump administration for its threats to the sovereignty of Greenland, said the information in the report was “very worrying” and that Danish authorities are “looking at this with quite a lot of seriousness”.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the Associated Press that “you cannot spy against an ally”.

The foreign ministry provided no further details, while the US embassy declined to comment.

In response to questions about the Journal’s report, Gabbard’s office released a statement noting that she had made three “criminal” referrals to the Justice Department over intelligence community leaks, and that nearly a dozen more leak cases are being investigated.

“The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the president by politicising and leaking classified information,” Gabbard wrote.

“They are breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy. Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Greenlanders oppose US takeover

The semi-autonomous Danish territory has been coveted by Trump, who has claimed that ownership and control of Greenland is necessary for national security purposes.

Greenland is a hotbed of critical raw materials and rare earths, and analysts say the melting of the Arctic ice presents ever-greater strategic opportunities for trade, energy and transport in a region where geopolitical rivals are tussling for influence.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington will respect Greenland’s self-determination while claiming that Greenlanders “don’t want to be a part of Denmark.”

However, according to an opinion poll released in January, 85% of Greenlanders do not want their island to become a part of the US.

Greenland’s prime minister said last month that the White House’s statements about the mineral-rich Arctic island have been disrespectful, and that it “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone”.

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On a visit to the island last month, Frederiksen insisted that “you cannot annex another country”.