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20:37 GMT 24.01.2025 (Updated: 19:26 GMT 25.01.2025)
Donald Trump’s call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen over Greenland last week was a «cold shower» for Europe and demonstrated the seriousness of the US intention of taking over the Arctic island, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing several European officials familiar with the call.
On January 15, Frederiksen said she had a 45-minute phone call with then-incoming President Trump. She reiterated that it is up to Greenland to decide on independence but expressed openness to allowing the US to increase its military presence in Greenland.
The «horrendous» call dashed Europe’s hopes that Trump’s claims were just a negotiating ploy to secure more influence over the island, a source told FT.
«He was very firm. It was a cold shower. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous,» another source said.
Trump also reiterated his threat of targeted tariffs against the NATO ally, a former Danish official was quoted as saying in the report.
A person familiar with the contents of the call said that it left the Danes «in crisis mode» and «utterly freaked out.»
The Danish prime minister’s office declined to comment on the «interpretation of the conversation given by anonymous sources,» the report said.
