The Danish Foreign Minister met with the head of the US diplomatic mission in the country. This happened after a national television channel reported on secret actions by at least three people associated with former US President Donald Trump aimed at influencing Greenland.
Greenland, a vast semi-autonomous Arctic territory ruled by Denmark, has long been a target of Trump’s attention. Denmark, a NATO member, and Greenlandic officials have repeatedly said the island is not up for grabs and have criticized U.S. intelligence gathering in the region.
According to public broadcaster DR on Wednesday, informed sources in government and intelligence circles, as well as anonymous contacts in Greenland and the United States, believe that three American citizens with ties to Trump were involved in covert influence campaigns in the territory.
The publication states that the findings are based on data from eight independent sources, which see the goal of these actions as undermining Danish-Greenlandic relations through internal social processes.
DR noted that it was not possible to establish whether the Americans acted independently or on someone’s instructions.
According to the investigation, one of the participants in the events compiled a list of pro-American residents of the island, recorded the names of Trump critics and encouraged the local population to highlight incidents that could discredit Denmark in the eyes of the American media.
Two others are believed to have been involved in establishing connections with politicians, businessmen and ordinary citizens.
Influence campaigns are coordinated efforts to change public opinion to achieve political, military, or other strategic objectives.
The TV channel clarified that it has the names of the persons involved, but refrained from disclosing them to protect the confidentiality of the sources.
“We are aware of the continuing attention of foreign actors to Greenland and its position within the Danish realm,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a statement released by his department.
“It is therefore likely that further external attempts may be made to influence the future of the kingdom.”
“Any interference in the internal affairs of the state is absolutely unacceptable,” Rasmussen emphasized.
“In connection with this, I initiated an invitation to the US Chargé d’Affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hold a conversation.”
He also noted that the interaction between the Danish and Greenlandic authorities “is close and based on mutual understanding.”
Commenting on the situation, the Danish intelligence service PET stated that “under the current circumstances, Greenland is becoming a target for various influence campaigns” potentially aimed at causing a rift in Danish-Greenlandic relations.
The organization's statement stated: “It is estimated that such actions could be carried out through the use of real or artificially created contradictions, including known individual cases, or through the promotion of specific positions among Greenlanders regarding the kingdom, the United States or other states with a special interest in the region.”
PET added that it has been steadily building up its operational capacity and cooperation with local authorities in Greenland in recent years, and plans to continue this work.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
