WASHINGTON/GENEVA/BERLIN/LONDON/OSLO - The United States, Denmark and Greenland have agreed to establish a "high-level working group" to explore possible areas of compromise since a "fundamental disagreement" persists over the future of Greenland, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Wednesday.

His remarks came just after US Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met him and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt at the White House.

Though calling the meeting "a frank but also constructive" discussion "focused on how to ensure the long-term security in Greenland", Rasmussen said at a press conference that Denmark and Greenland's "perspectives continue to differ" from the United States.

"I must say, the president (US President Donald Trump) has made his view clear, and we have a different position," Rasmussen said, asserting that in Denmark's view, Greenland's long-term security "can be ensured inside the current framework".

"We agreed that it makes sense to try to sit down on a high level to explore whether there's possibilities to accommodate the concerns of the president while we at the same time, respect the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark. So this is the work we will start," he said, adding that the working group is expected to meet for the first time "within a matter of weeks".

Rasmussen warned that "ideas that would not respect territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right of self-determination of the Greenlandic people are, of course, totally unacceptable".

Trump said Wednesday morning that anything less than Greenland becoming a part of the United States "is unacceptable", citing the need for US national security and the Golden Dome project.

"The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building," Trump said on his Truth Social.

"NATO should be leading the way for us to get it," he claimed. "NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES. Anything less than that is unacceptable."

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On Tuesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen held a joint press conference in Copenhagen to show their united front against Trump's repeated threats to acquire the largest island in the world "one way or the other."

Nielsen said that if Greenland must choose between the US and Denmark, "we choose Denmark."

Frederiksen said her country is facing "completely unacceptable pressure" from its closest ally. "But there is much to suggest that the hardest part is still ahead of us."

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Tuesday that the Danish government is committed to establishing "a more permanent and larger military presence" for Denmark and its NATO allies in and around Greenland. Danish broadcaster DR reported on Wednesday that Denmark is deploying military equipment and advance troops to the island.

Since his first term, Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to acquire Greenland. Both Greenland and Denmark have made clear that the island is not for sale. The White House said last week that Trump will not rule out the use of force.

Greenland, the world's largest island, is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, while Copenhagen retains authority over defense and foreign policy. The United States maintains a military base on the island.

US urged to respect international law 

Also on Wednesday, United Nations experts warned that any unilateral attempt to alter Greenland's status as an autonomous territory of Denmark would not only violate international law, but could also undermine stability in the Arctic region and beyond.

In a joint statement, seven UN experts, including George Katrougalos, independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Albert K. Barume, Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Surya Deva, Special Rapporteur on the right to development, expressed grave concern over remarks made by the US president regarding Greenland.

The experts said the remarks included suggestions that the territory should be placed under US control and that force could even be used to achieve such an outcome.

"Assertions suggesting that a territory can be taken, controlled or 'owned' by another State in pursuit of perceived national security or economic interests evoke a logic of colonial domination that the international community has long rejected," the experts said. "Such rhetoric raises deep concerns about the maintenance of a democratic and equitable international order - one rooted in respect for human dignity and fundamental rights in line with the UN Charter."

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The experts warned of what they described as a pattern of US military aggression, including attacks on several sovereign countries, numerous extrajudicial killings, the weaponization of tariffs and multifaceted coercive diplomacy.

Germany's multinational mission

Meanwhile, the German Ministry of Defense announced that it will participate in a multinational reconnaissance mission in Greenland to assess potential military contributions to regional security.

At the invitation of Denmark, a team of 13 personnel from the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, will join other European nations for the mission in Greenland, according to the ministry.

The team is set to depart for Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, on Thursday morning.

The aim of the mission is to explore framework conditions for potential military support to Denmark in ensuring security in the region. For example, the team will look into capabilities such as maritime surveillance, the ministry said.

NATO called on to 'strengthen Arctic defences'

During her visit to Finland and Norway, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called on NATO to "step up its military and security presence in the Arctic", citing that the region is becoming "a front line of geopolitical competition" as climate change opens new shipping routes and exposes strategic resources.

Cooper said Arctic security was "critical to protecting Britain and NATO" and stressed the need to "strengthen regional defences to deter Russia and protect key infrastructure", according to a press release published by the Foreign Office.

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"The Arctic will become an ever more critical frontier for NATO," Cooper said, adding that Britain and its allies were working to reinforce defences in the High North to prevent any attempts to threaten their interests and undersea infrastructure.

Protest in Copenhagen

About 200 protesters rallied outside the US Embassy in Denmark, expressing opposition to Washington's plans on Greenland.

The demonstration, named "Greenland Belongs to the Greenlanders", began at 4 pm local time (1500 GMT) in front of the embassy and was later moved by police to the opposite side of the street. The protest lasted around two hours.

"We only want to be ourselves. We want to belong to Greenland as Greenlanders, and we will stay strong and committed to that," a Greenlander, Andersen, told Xinhua.

"Nobody should be able to take over another country - not because someone thinks they are strong and therefore can take whatever they want," said Simon Vincent Nelson, a Copenhagen resident, adding that he was "very angry about it and felt offended".