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Denmark has called in the US ambassador over a report that Washington is stepping up its espionage of politicians in Greenland and Copenhagen.
Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish foreign minister, said on Wednesday that he had read the article in the Wall Street Journal with “deep concern” as one did not spy on “friends” and that he had contacted the US envoy to convey Copenhagen’s disquiet over the reported spying activity.
The incident is the latest spat between the two Nato allies since US President Donald Trump starting repeating his desire for Washington to take over Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of the kingdom of Denmark, earlier this year.
Pipaluk Lynge, a senior Greenland MP, said the Arctic island’s leaders and those from Denmark should consider closing the US consulate in Nuuk, the territory’s capital.
According to the WSJ report, a classified message was sent to US intelligence agencies last week, urging them to identify people in Greenland and Denmark who support Trump’s ambition to take control of the geopolitically crucial island.
It added that intelligence agency chiefs had been instructed to learn more about Greenland’s independence movement and attitudes to mineral extraction by American companies.
Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, did not deny the story but criticised the newspaper for “politicising and leaking classified information”.
The Danish Security and Intelligence Service said late on Wednesday that there was an “increased threat of espionage and of influence from foreign states against both Denmark and Greenland” as a result of the US interest.
Tensions between Copenhagen and Washington over Greenland escalated after Trump insisted in a January telephone call with Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen that he would gain control of the island of 57,000 people, the Financial Times reported.
Denmark has stepped up its criticism of the US after vice-president JD Vance made an uninvited visit to a US military base on Greenland in March, criticising Copenhagen heavily for neglecting the territory.
Danish officials were also horrified by Vance’s comments that the Scandinavian country was not a good ally despite it fighting alongside the US in Afghanistan, losing as many soldiers relative to its population as America.
Calling in a foreign ambassador for discussions is a sign of serious diplomatic discontent, but is very rarely used against allies such as the US.
Lynge, who is head of the security committee of Greenland’s parliament, said the island’s politicians needed to consider serious steps against the US.
“You have to talk about the Trump administration as it is. It’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Is Nato the same as before? I don’t think so when you spy on each other,” she told Danish TV station DR.
