Canada and France, which both oppose US President Donald Trump’s claim to Greenland, opened consulates in the Danish autonomous territory’s capital on Friday, February 6, in a show of support for the local government. Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has insisted that Washington needs to control the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island for security reasons.

Trump last month backed off threats to seize Greenland after saying he had struck a “framework” deal with NATO chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence. A US-Denmark-Greenland working group has been established to discuss Washington’s security concerns in the Arctic, but details have not been made public.

While Denmark and Greenland have said they share Trump’s security concerns, they have insisted that sovereignty and territorial integrity are a “red line” in the discussions. Canada and France formally opened consulates in the Greenlandic capital on Friday.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to open a consulate during a visit to Nuuk in June, where he expressed Europe’s “solidarity” with Greenland and criticized Trump’s ambitions. The French consul, Jean-Noel Poirier, previously served as ambassador to Vietnam.

“The first item on the agenda will be to listen to Greenlanders, to hear them, to let them explain in detail their position, and from our side to confirm to them our support, as much as they and the Danish side want,” Poirier told AFP before leaving Copenhagen for Nuuk.

Greenland has had diplomatic ties with the European Union since 1992, with Washington since 2014 and with Iceland since 2017. Iceland opened a consulate in Nuuk in 2013, while the United States, which had a consulate in the Greenlandic capital from 1940 to 1953, reopened its mission in 2020. The European Commission opened an office in 2024.