US-Denmark relations tested again over Arctic Island comments

Tensions between the United States and Denmark flared once again after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham clashed with Danish and Greenlandic leaders at the Munich Security Conference last week, raising concerns that Washington’s interest in Greenland remains a sensitive issue.

During a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Graham reportedly warned that if President Donald Trump wanted Greenland, “Washington could simply take it,” Euractiv reports.

Danish sources present at the meeting said Graham addressed Frederiksen as “little lady,” prompting her to reply: “When you’re done with that, the meeting can continue.” Participants described Graham’s behavior as “completely out of line,” with one attendee citing “lots of F-bombs” and another describing the US senator as “combative.”

The incident reignites concerns over US-Danish relations, which had eased after Trump walked back previous threats to deploy military force to acquire Greenland and to impose tariffs on eight European countries deploying troops to the island.

According to Puck, US lawmakers were reportedly surprised by the depth of European mistrust stemming from Trump’s prior actions and the impact on transatlantic perceptions.

Graham, a senior Republican figure and long-standing foreign policy hawk, had previously criticized Trump following the January 6, 2021, insurrection attempt. Since Trump’s re-election in 2024, however, he has become one of the president’s most steadfast allies.

By Vafa Guliyeva