A military ship from the Royal Fleet of Denmark in front of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.Image: keystone
January 15, 2026, 4:00 p.mJan 15, 2026, 4:27 p.m
It should have been a clarifying meeting. But the picture of Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen after the meeting with US Vice Vance and US Secretary of State Rubio first needs a cigarettespeaks volumes. Fundamental differences of opinion still exist between Denmark, Greenland and the USA.
Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen gives out smoke
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For once, the American people are less divided. It is widely believed that a forcible annexation of Greenland by the USA would be a bad idea. Only four percent of the population thinks it is a “good idea”. At the Reuters/Ipsos poll 1217 people from all over the country took part. The deviation can be three percent.
Even among the Republican group, only eight percent support an invasion of the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. For the Democrats it is one percent. However, the numerous people who are undecided should give something to think about. There are at least 32 percent of them among Republicans.
Danish troops pose with hundreds of other European soldiers in Greenland after a NATO exercise.Image: keystone
The situation is different when it comes to the question of support for US efforts to acquire Greenland. This option also includes a purchase, exchange or other peaceful options.
This shows once again how different the two camps in the USA currently think. Republicans support the effort at 40 percent. Only 14 reject it. Among Democrats, support for non-violent appropriation is only marginally higher than that for violent appropriation, at two percent.
A survey by… didn’t produce quite the same results YouGov. Here the question was explicitly asked about support or opposition to military force (and not whether it was “a good idea”). The Republicans’ approval rating is still low at 18 percent – but it does give cause for thought. However, the group of rejecters is also significantly larger here.
In addition, the YouGov poll took place from January 9th to 12th. The Reuters numbers are from January 12th and 13th and are therefore a little fresher.
Concrete monetary payments to Greenlanders only receive slightly higher approval (25 percent) among Republicans than the use of force. This is also an interesting insight into the prevailing worldview among the group of American voters.