Denmark summons US diplomat over Greenland 'interference'

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00:01The United States' official presence in Greenland may look unassuming,

00:05but behind the scenes, Washington is reportedly trying a clandestine approach

00:09to expanding its influence in the territory.

00:12That's according to Danish public broadcaster DR,

00:15quoting unnamed government and security sources,

00:18who believe that at least three Americans with connections to Donald Trump

00:22have been carrying out covert influence operations

00:25to try and shape how people in Greenland think.

00:27It's important that we gain some insight into this

00:32so that our populations, both Greenland and Denmark, know what we are up against.

00:37This is inherently completely unacceptable,

00:40and therefore, in light of the information that has emerged,

00:43I've decided to summon the American chargé d'affaires.

00:48DR reports that the operation included compiling a list of US-friendly Greenlanders,

00:53collecting names of people opposed to Trump,

00:55and researching cases that could be used to cast Denmark in a bad light.

01:00DR said it had been unable to clarify whether the Americans were working under orders,

01:05but from threats of annexation,

01:07to sending J.D. Vance and Trump Jr. to try and woo the locals,

01:10the US president has made it no secret to the fact

01:13he wants the mineral-rich, strategically-located Arctic island one way or the other.

01:18We're working with everybody involved to try and get it.

01:22We must remember that it is Greenland itself that must decide what we want,

01:26what kind of future we choose, and the order of the partners we choose to work with.

01:31And the United States will always be one of them,

01:33but I think it is important to be increasingly sceptical

01:36the more we hear about attempts to influence us in Greenland.

01:41Denmark insists that Greenland will decide its future itself.

01:44According to a January poll, most of its people want to become independent,

01:49but do not wish to become part of the US.

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