Jakub Krupa
Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen revealed he had “constructive” talks with the US over Greenland last night, saying that he is “slightly more optimistic today than a week ago” that a solution can be found.
No wonder: it’s a week since US president Donald Trump delivered that rambling Davos speech in which he repeatedly stated he needed to take control of Greenland.
Confirming hints from US state secretary Marco Rubio last night (Europe Live yesterday), Rasmussen said the pair met in Washington for further talks, putting them back on track with the process they agreed on two weeks ago.
“After that, there was a major detour, things were escalating, but now we are back on track,” he said.
Rubio told the US Congress last night that the low-profile format hoped to avoid “a media circus” around the talks – with more to come.
Rasmussen didn’t answer specific questions about what was covered in talks, sticking to the line that they focused on what can be done to meet US security interests without violating Denmark’s red lines on territory and sovereignty.
He will no doubt offer a bit more detail behind the closed doors as EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels this morning to go through a busy agenda covering the world on fire in Greenland, Ukraine, the Middle East, and other parts of the world.
I will keep an eye on what others ministers will say arriving for talks.
Separately, German chancellor Friedrich Merz is delivering a major foreign policy speech in the Bundestag this morning. I will bring you the key lines here, too.
I will also look at the latest on Ukraine and Russia, including a rare late night violation of Polish airspace by weather balloons from Belarus.
Lots for us to cover.
It’s Thursday, 29 January 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
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The Washington meeting took place just hours after the US embassy in Copenhagen angered Danish veterans by removing national flags put up in front of the mission to honour Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan.
Days after US president Donald Trump angered some allies by downplaying the role of non-US Nato troops in the Afghanistan war, 44 flags, which carried the names of the 44 Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan, were put up on Tuesday in flower beds outside the US embassy in Copenhagen, AFP reported.
Danish flags are placed in front of the American embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Photograph: Emil Nicolai Helms/EPA
The embassy originally told Danish media that it had removed the flags because they had been put up without coordination with the embassy, prompting angry reaction from locals and veteran associations.
The embassy later backtracked, and a US State Department spokesperson told AFP that “until an outlet reached out, we were unaware of why the flags were placed in planters outside the Embassy.”
Following the news of the removal, new flags were put up on Wednesday.
By Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of small Danish flags had been put up in the flowerbeds, TV2 reported.
A growing number of Danish flags are placed in front of the US Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Photograph: Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images
The embassy told AFP that “additional flags subsequently placed are currently in place and will remain so”.
Updated at 03.43 EST
Morning opening: Denmark ‘slightly more optimistic’ about resolving US Greenland interest
Jakub Krupa
Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen revealed he had “constructive” talks with the US over Greenland last night, saying that he is “slightly more optimistic today than a week ago” that a solution can be found.
No wonder: it’s a week since US president Donald Trump delivered that rambling Davos speech in which he repeatedly stated he needed to take control of Greenland.
Confirming hints from US state secretary Marco Rubio last night (Europe Live yesterday), Rasmussen said the pair met in Washington for further talks, putting them back on track with the process they agreed on two weeks ago.
“After that, there was a major detour, things were escalating, but now we are back on track,” he said.
Rubio told the US Congress last night that the low-profile format hoped to avoid “a media circus” around the talks – with more to come.
Rasmussen didn’t answer specific questions about what was covered in talks, sticking to the line that they focused on what can be done to meet US security interests without violating Denmark’s red lines on territory and sovereignty.
He will no doubt offer a bit more detail behind the closed doors as EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels this morning to go through a busy agenda covering the world on fire in Greenland, Ukraine, the Middle East, and other parts of the world.
I will keep an eye on what others ministers will say arriving for talks.
Separately, German chancellor Friedrich Merz is delivering a major foreign policy speech in the Bundestag this morning. I will bring you the key lines here, too.
I will also look at the latest on Ukraine and Russia, including a rare late night violation of Polish airspace by weather balloons from Belarus.
Lots for us to cover.
It’s Thursday, 29 January 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.