Former Greenland foreign minister dismisses US general’s talk of new bases as ‘noise’
A recently resigned Greenlandic minister has downplayed remarks by a top US general about establishing additional military bases in Greenland, calling the statements “noise,” Danish broadcaster DR reports.
Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland’s former naalakkersuisoq (minister) for foreign affairs, said existing defence agreements already permit the US to open new bases without needing to claim sovereignty over the territory. Her comments follow reports that Washington seeks to expand its military presence in Greenland with three new “defence areas” for special operations and maritime access.
“All this rhetoric from the US has been about why it’s important to own Greenland—tied to Western security,” Motzfeldt told DR in Nuuk. “But you don’t need to own a country to ensure allies’ security.”
Her remarks come after General Gregory Guillot, commander of US Northern Command, testified before a Senate hearing last week that America aims to increase its Arctic footprint. “What I’d like to add to our current capabilities—primarily space-based and initial air operations—are more locations for special operations and greater maritime access,” Guillot said, according to a transcript obtained by Berlingske. The general framed the expansion as a defensive measure against threats via the “northeast approach to North America.”
Motzfeldt, who played a key role in negotiations with the Trump administration alongside former Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, declined to speculate on which Greenlandic sites might be under consideration. She stressed the need to allow the trilateral working group—comprising US, Danish, and Greenlandic representatives—to proceed without disruption. “We’ve always known Greenland’s strategic location would grow in importance,” she said. “The pressure won’t decrease—it’ll only increase.”
The former minister stepped down earlier this month after her party, Siumut, left Greenland’s coalition government. She has since resigned from the party and now sits as an independent in the Inatsisartut (Greenlandic parliament).