Denmark Summons U.S. Envoy Over Alleged Interference In Greenland Amid Historic Apology to Greenlandic Women

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

COPENHAGEN (Worthy News) – Denmark’s prime minister on Wednesday condemned alleged U.S. interference in Greenland and issued a historic apology to thousands of the territory’s Inuit women subjected to forced contraception under Danish rule.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen met a delegation of U.S. senators in Copenhagen and told them that reports of covert American attempts to meddle in Greenland’s affairs were “unacceptable.”

She said the findings underscored “the seriousness of U.S. President Donald Trump’s interest in Greenland.”

The alleged influence campaign was reportedly driven by three American operatives who viewed Greenland’s colonial-era abuses as a potential wedge issue to strain ties between Denmark and the semi-autonomous Arctic territory, Danish media reported.

As tensions rose, Denmark’s Foreign Ministry separately confirmed it had summoned the U.S. chargé d’affaires in Copenhagen to demand explanations about the alleged influence campaign.

Separately, Frederiksen delivered a formal apology to more than 4,500 Greenlandic women who, between the 1960s and 1992, were fitted with intrauterine devices (IUDs) without their consent as part of a government program to suppress Greenland’s high birth rate.

DEEP WOUNDS

“We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility. Therefore, on behalf of Denmark, I would like to say: I am sorry,” Frederiksen stated.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also apologized for cases under Greenlandic administration, acknowledging the “deep wounds” left by the policy.

Nearly half of the island’s 9,000 fertile Inuit women were targeted in the campaign, leaving lasting social and psychological scars, according to investigators.

The issue is believed to have been identified by the three American operatives as one that could be exploited further to drive Denmark and Greenland apart.

The dual developments highlighted Greenland’s enduring sensitivities — both as a community scarred by past abuses and as a strategic Arctic territory at the center of tensions among the world’s major powers.

Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland for its military value and vast mineral wealth, even encouraging the local population to consider joining the United States, despite Copenhagen and Nuuk insisting the island “is not for sale.”

The U.S. has a military base on the northwest coast of Greenland. Some 150 United States guardians serve at the Pituffik Space Base alongside Danish and Greenlandic personnel after the U.S. reduced its presence from 6000 personnel during the Cold War, according to official data.

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