Arctic geopolitics – another Greenland conflict in the Nordic Council

This working paper provides a brief overview of the Greenland conflict within the Nordic Council and the current developments in the parallel Greenland conflict with the United States. While the international community focuses on the ongoing conflict between the United States and Denmark over control of Greenland, another largely unnoticed conflict concerning Greenland is currently taking place within the Nordic Council. This conflict, also centered on Greenland's status, has reached a critical stage with the now-planned revision of the 1962 Treaty of Helsinki on cooperation between the Scandinavian states. As a result, Denmark must now defend the status quo in Greenland simultaneously against the United States and President Trump on the one hand, and within the Nordic Council on the other, with the threat of losing control over Greenland looming in both conflicts. In 2024, the Faroe Islands and Greenland declared that they would no longer accept their exclusion from Nordic summits on foreign and security policy, to which they were not invited, and that they wished to become full members. An agreement was reached to conduct a legal review of the Helsinki Treaty and a revision is planned in 2026. However, at the end of 2025, the Nordic Council created a fait accompli by amending its rules of procedure, without waiting for the revision of the Helsinki Treaty. Effective January 1, 2026, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Åland became equal members of the Presidium and now participate equally in all important decisions of the Nordic Council. Furthermore, they were officially designated as ‘three countries’. The revision of the treaty was declared a priority by the joint presidency of Denmark and the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands want to transform Denmark into a confederation of states, although the details (association, federation, dominion, etc.) are still unclear, but the loss of Danish control over Greenland is a very real possibility. According to the Wall Street Journal, the intelligence coordinator Tulsi Gabbard instructed the US intelligence agencies Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and National Security Agency (NSA) in May 2025 to intensify their gathering of information on the Greenlandic independence movement, whereupon Denmark summoned the US ambassador. In mid-June 2025, the US strengthened Greenland's military ties by removing it from the European Command (EUCOM) and integrating it into the Northern Command (NORTHCOM), which serves homeland defense. A strategy paper was subsequently developed, outlining a concept for the integration and transformation of Greenland. According to the proposal, Greenland would be granted associated status (Associated Territory of the United States), which would give Greenlanders the greatest possible freedoms but also allow the United States to have political influence and the opportunity for a systematic modernization of air, sea, and road transport, as well as of the digital infrastructure. Greenland would then vote on its final status after approximately 10 to 15 years. Further cooperation within NATO and with Denmark would be continued. In addition, the United States is further expanding its military presence: Denmark granted the US military free access to three air bases in Karup, Skrydstrup, and Aalborg on the Danish mainland in 2025. The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met in Washington on January 14, 2026, with Vice President JD Vance and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio. Both sides maintained their positions ("We agree to disagree") but agreed to form a high-level working group. According to the US, this group will conduct technical talks on the acquisition agreement for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, while the Danes assumed that it will focus on resolving the differences. In summary, Denmark is under intense political pressure from two sides simultaneously, and the loss of control over Greenland is a realistic possibility.