Denmark’s PM says ‘you can’t spy against an ally’, after claims US is ramping up its intelligence on Greenland
9 May 2025, 15:56
Denmark’s PM Mette Frederiksen hit out at the US for “spying” on Greenland, amid reports the US has been gathering more intelligence on the semi-autonomous territory.
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Ms Frederiksen’s comments mark an escalation in tension between the US and Denmark.
The remarks come following a report by the Wall Street Journal that the Trump administration had told American spy agencies to start focusing more on Greenland.
The agencies were reportedly told to pay particular attention to the territory’s independence movement, and the population’s attitude towards the US extracting its mineral resources.
The US director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has not denied the story, but has hit out at those who leaked the classified information.
Ms Gabbard has made three “criminal” referrals to the US justice department over the leaks.
“The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the President,” she said.
“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 full extent of the law.”
Read More: Greenland's Prime Minister says the US will not get the island
Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has also spoken out on the report, saying the claims were “very worrying”.
“We don’t spy between friends. We are looking at this with quite a bit of seriousness” he said.
Greenland’s Prime Minister has also described a potential surge in spying as unacceptable and disrespectful.
Since Trump took office, he has been pushing for US control of the Greenland territory - which is currently semi-autonomous, but resides within the Kingdom of Denmark.
The territory is extremely dense in rare earth minerals, and due to its positioning in the Arctic Circle, is an important NATO-US ally.
Trump has said he wants to annex the territory - not only for its strategic military position, but also for its minerals.
According to Trump, annexing Greenland’s minerals could “power the next generation of the US economy”. Vice President JD Vance has also recently accused Denmark of “not keeping Greenland safe from Russia and China”.
Mr Vance said that Denmark had not done enough to protect Greenland from "very aggressive incursions from Russia, from China and from other nations."