The top U.S. diplomat in Denmark was summoned for talks following a report by the country’s leading national public broadcaster over allegations of covert influence operations linked to President Trump.
On Wednesday, the Danish public broadcaster “DR” reported that unnamed government and security sources, as well as unidentified sources in Greenland and the United States, believe that multiple individuals with connections to President Trump have been conducting covert influence operations in the island nation.
The broadcaster claimed the story was based on a total of eight sources, who allege the goal of the campaign is to weaken relations between Greenlandic society and Denmark, which retains sovereign power over the semi-autonomous Arctic territory.
Despite the dramatic diplomatic row, DR said it was unable to confirm whether the Americans were working independently or on behalf of someone else. According to the broadcaster, its sources believe that one of the Americans has been producing lists of Greenland citizens who are for and against President Trump’s proclamations for the United States to assume sovereignty over the country. The reason, say the sources, is to compile a list of individuals who could potentially participate in a Greenlandic secessionist movement.
DR also reported that the other Americans “have tried to cultivate contacts with politicians, businesspeople and citizens, and the sources’ concern is that these contacts could secretly be used to support Donald Trump’s desire to take over Greenland,” per CBC News.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told French news agency AFP that the ministry was “aware that foreign actors continue to show an interest in Greenland and its position in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is therefore not surprising if we experience outside attempts to influence the future of the Kingdom in the time ahead.”
The Danish Security and Intelligence Service said it believes the country “is a target for influence campaigns of various kinds” that could destabilize the relationship between Denmark and Greenland.
The agency claims “this could be done by exploiting existing or fabricated disagreements, for example in connection with well-known individual cases, or by promoting or amplifying certain viewpoints in Greenland regarding the Kingdom, the United States, or other countries with a particular interest in Greenland.”