Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Wednesday he would call the U.S. ambassador to Denmark following a report in The Wall Street Journal that the U.S. plans to launch an intelligence-gathering operation on Greenland.
“I have read the article in The Wall Street Journal, and it worries me greatly, because we do not spy on friends,” Rasmussen told reporters.
Greenland is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, but it’s closer geographically to the U.S. than to Denmark.
The Trump administration has directed U.S. intelligence agencies to step up information-gathering on Greenland, further indicating President Donald Trump’s interest in the North Atlantic island.
Last week, the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, and National Security Agency were given a “collection emphasis message” under the direction of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The agencies have been directed to learn more about Greenland’s attitude toward independence and its interest in American extractions of its resources, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
The fact-finding efforts may include use of intercepted communication and spy satellites, in addition to human intelligence.
Gabbard was critical of the Journal for reporting the story, saying the news outlet should “be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the president by politicizing and leaking classified information.”
The Journal is “breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy,” according to Gabbard.
The report of U.S. intelligence-gathering in Greenland comes just about a week after Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said remarks from leaders in the U.S. have “not been respectful.”
Greenland is “ready for a strong partnership [with the U.S.] and more development, but we want respect,” Nielsen said. “We will never be a piece of property that can be bought by anyone.”
In a joint press conference with the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on April 27, Nielsen stressed the important relationship between Greenland and Denmark, telling reporters the current foreign policy situation “means we have to move closer together.”
Not long after taking office, Trump expressed an interest in the U.S. claiming Greenland, a sentiment the president reiterated as recently as this week.
“We need Greenland very badly,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News that aired Sunday. “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.”
Greenland not only offers large amounts of natural resources, but its proximity to the Arctic is also critical, given Russia’s and China’s growing presence in the region.
Trump has not ruled out the possibility of using military resources to annex Greenland.
This article was originally published at www.dailysignal.com
