Danish PM Frederiksen Says She Is 'Increasingly Optimistic' of a Peaceful Path With US Over Greenland

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on September 14, 2026, speaking after a gathering of European Union leaders and officials in northern Finland, that she is 'increasingly optimistic' Denmark and the United States can find a peaceful way forward on the Arctic region, including Greenland. 'I'm quite optimistic that we can find a way and I think we already now see some very clear signs and signals... my hope is that we find a way forward peacefully,' Frederiksen said, pointing to progress within the 'high-level working group' of Danish, American and Greenlandic representatives created in January 2026 to address US concerns. The remarks mark a notably softer tone after a year in which President Trump's demands for US control of Greenland — including refusing to rule out military action — sparked what Reuters described as a crisis in US-European ties and turmoil within NATO, with Denmark previously calling the dispute a 'fundamental disagreement.' Frederiksen's comments followed the EU's September 7 unveiling of a €200 million Greenland partnership package and came during the closing days of NATO's Arctic Shield exercise in the territory.