Denmark has summoned the US ambassador over reports that Washington is increasing its spying on Greenland and Copenhagen lawmakers.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen expressed concern about the reported surveillance activity stating that “friends” should not be spied on.
The incident is the latest spat between the two Nato allies since US President Donald Trump repeated 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 leaders were similarly appalled by Vance’s remarks that the Scandinavian country was not a good ally despite fighting alongside the US in Afghanistan and losing as many soldiers per capita as America.
Calling in a foreign ambassador for talks is a sign of significant diplomatic discord, but it is rarely employed against allies like the United States.
Lynge, the head of Greenland’s parliament’s security committee, stated that the island’s legislators must consider taking strong action against the United States.
