Denmark

The Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, told News “that he cannot spy against an ally” after informing that the United States has intensified the intelligence meeting in Greenland, a semi -autonomous Danish territory coveted by the president of the United States, Donald Trump.

Frederiksen’s comments on Friday are the last ones in the dispute between Denmark, Greenland and the United States because Mr. Trump Search for annexing The strategic island of the Arctic. Denmark and Greenland insist that the island rich in minerals is not on sale, while Trump has not ruled out military force despite the fact that Denmark is a NATO ally.

Greenland is located northeast of Canada. It is a semi -autonomous territory of the kingdom of Denmark and has its own elected government. Its location between the United States, Russia and Europe makes it strategic for economic and defense purposes, especially because the fusion of sea ice has opened new shipping routes through the Arctic. It is also the location of the most northern American military base.

Trump has repeatedly stated that the United States needs Greenland for national security purposes.

“I’m talking about protecting the free world,” he said in early January. “You look, you don’t even need binoculars, look outside. You have ships from China everywhere. You have Russian ships all over the place. We are not letting that happen. We are not letting happen.”

• Why does Trump want Greenland and the Panama Canal? This is what interest is behind us.

The Danish prime minister spoke with the AP the day after Denmark summoned the main American diplomat in the country for an explanation after a report by Wall Street Journal who said that several high -ranking officials under the director of National Intelligence of the United States, Tulsi Gabbard, had directed the chiefs of the intelligence agency to learn more about the independence movement of Greenland The United States there.

Jennifer Hall Godfrey, interim chief of the United States Embassy in Copenhagen, met with the high-ranking Danish diplomat Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ministry said in an email. He did not provide more details. The embassy declined to comment.

Frederiksen said Friday that the report was “rumors” in an international newspaper. The Journal cited two people familiar with the US effort. He did not identify.

“Cooperation on defense, deterrence and security in the northern part of Europe is becoming increasingly important,” Frederiksen said. “Of course, you can’t spy against an ally.”

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, in comments to the Groenland newspaper, Sermitsiaq, said espionage reports are unacceptable and disrespectful.

Finnish president Alexander Stubb said on Friday that “there is no doubt” that Denmark and Greenland are under “it does not feel good.” He spoke after a security meeting in Norway, where the issue of Greenland was discussed between the Nordic and Baltic leaders and the United Kingdom, with representatives of Greenland and the Feroe Islands that mark through a video link.

In response to the questions about the magazine’s report, the Gabbard office issued a statement by pointing out that he had made three “criminal” references to the Department of Justice for leaks of the intelligence community.

“The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed to help Deep State actors who seek to undermine the president politicizing and filtering classified information,” Gabbard wrote. “They are violating the law and undermining the security and democracy of our nation. Those who filter classified information will be found and responsible for the law.”

Greenland’s prime minister said last month that US statements on the island have been disrespectful and that “it will never be a property that anyone can buy.”

Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre, said Friday those who believe there are “other legal regime in the Arctic” should tell him that “this is not the case.”

Speaking before the joint meeting of expeditionary force leaders in Oslo, Gahr Støre said there seemed to be suggestions that “in the Arctic, there is some type of terra nullius, the law does not apply.”

“It applies, sovereignty is applied. And Greenland is part of the kingdom of Denmark,” he said before the meeting with the leaders of the nations of the United Kingdom, Nordic and Baltic.

Haley Ott contributed to this report.

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• Denmark