Denmark summons US envoy over suspected influence operations in Greenland

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Soren Jeppesen

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Denmark's foreign minister has summoned the top U.S. diplomat in Copenhagen over intelligence reports alleging covert influence operations by U.S. citizens in Greenland that aimed to whip up opposition to Danish rule, the ministry said on Wednesday.

Public broadcaster DR, citing unnamed sources, reported that at least three Americans with ties to the Trump administration were suspected of involvement in the efforts, which also sought to promote Greenland's secession from Denmark to the United States.

Neither the minister nor the broadcaster disclosed the identities of the Americans flagged in the intelligence reports.

The U.S. embassy in Copenhagen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory rich in minerals and strategically located in the Arctic, has been a focal point of U.S. interest since U.S. President Donald Trump expressed ambitions to acquire the territory, citing national and international security concerns.

His proposal has been firmly rejected in both Copenhagen and Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, which holds the right to declare independence from Denmark through a referendum.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen denounced any efforts to undermine the relation between Denmark and Greenland.

"If anyone thinks they can influence it by creating a 'fifth column' or that type of activity, then it is contrary to the way states cooperate," said Rasmussen, calling it "completely unacceptable".

"It is important for us to speak out very clearly against the United States," he told reporters.

U.S. AMBITIONS

A March general election in Greenland - a former colony but now a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark - saw a pro-business party advocating a gradual independence process secure victory.

Meanwhile, a party favouring rapid independence from Denmark and closer ties with the U.S. garnered a quarter of the vote, highlighting growing momentum for independence.

Seeking to counterbalance U.S. ambitions in the region, Denmark has been trying to improve strained relations with Greenland, rallying European allies for support.

While Trump has also since expressed respect for Greenland's right to determine its own future, his comments about potentially taking the territory by force have fuelled uncertainty among its 57,000 inhabitants.

"The United States should not be allowed to influence our future in this way. It is solely up to the Greenlandic people," Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, told Reuters.

Chemnitz said she believed the suspected influence operations were part of Trump's broader campaign seeking to gain control of the territory.

"I definitely think that this links back to the U.S. government," Chemnitz said.

Denmark's national security and intelligence service, PET, warned in a statement that Greenland remains a target for influence campaigns, that could aim to exploit disagreements or promote specific views about both Denmark and the United States.

Trump has picked PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as U.S. ambassador to Denmark, but the U.S. mission in Copenhagen is currently led by Charge d'affaires Mark Stroh, its website says.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Soren Jeppesen in Copenhagen, additional reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo;Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Helen Popper)