Faced with a barrage of American threats to grab Greenland, Denmark’s foreign minister and his Greenlandic counterpart flew to Washington for — they hoped — sympathetic talks with Marco Rubio, the secretary of State.
But their plan for a soothing diplomatic chat escalated into a tense White House head-to-head with the EU’s nemesis, JD Vance.
Over the past year the U.S. vice president has earned a reputation for animosity toward the old continent, and many governments in Europe fear his hard-line influence over President Donald Trump when it comes to seizing territory from a long-standing ally.
Among the 10 ministers and officials who spoke anonymously to POLITICO for this article, none regarded Vance as an ally — either in the Greenland talks or for the transatlantic relationship in general.
