Denmark’s foreign minister had the top US diplomat in the country summoned for talks after the main national broadcaster reported on Wednesday that at least three people with connections to President Donald Trump have been carrying out covert influence operations in Greenland.
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Greenland, a huge semi-autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic, is coveted by Trump. Denmark, a Nato ally of the United States, and Greenland have said the island is not for sale and condemned reports of the US gathering intelligence there.
Public broadcaster DR reported on Wednesday that government and security sources which it did not name, as well as unidentified sources in Greenland and the US, believe that at least three Americans with connections to Trump have been carrying out covert influence operations in the territory.
One of those people allegedly compiled a list of US-friendly Greenlanders, collected names of people opposed to Trump, and got locals to point out cases that could be used to cast Denmark in a bad light in American media. Two others have tried to nurture contacts with politicians, businesspeople and locals, according to the report.
An influence operation is an organised effort to shape how people in a society think to achieve certain political, military or other objectives.
DR said its story was based on information from a total of eight sources, who believe the goal is to weaken relations with Denmark from within Greenlandic society.
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