Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the US should leave Greenland alone, reaffirming Copenhagen's position on President Donald Trump's ambition to acquire the vast Arctic island, Politico quoted him as saying.
Rasmussen met with the new US ambassador to Denmark, Ken Howery, on Thursday. According to Danish TV channel TV2, their meeting lasted about an hour - longer than a typical introductory conversation.
When asked if he told Howery to "keep his paws off Greenland", Rasmussen replied: "Yes, he should, and so should the US in general - and the Americans know that very well."
"First of all, I think it was nice to meet the US ambassador. We have been waiting for him for a long time and it is good that he is here. It is important to have a representative from the Trump administration," Rasmussen added.
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland - and has refused to rule out using military or economic coercion to obtain it - saying he needs the Arctic island for national security purposes. Denmark says Greenland is not for sale.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and its residents are EU citizens. A January poll showed that most Greenlanders would prefer to remain in Denmark rather than join the United States.
Rasmussen served as prime minister of Denmark from 2009 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2019. Howery, a co-founder of PayPal with Elon Musk, previously served as U.S. ambassador to Sweden during Trump's first term.