US in talks with Denmark to open new bases in Greenland: report

The US has been holding negotiations with Denmark to open new military bases in Greenland, with the talks between both sides progressing in recent months, BBC reported Tuesday citing sources.

US officials are considering opening three new bases in southern Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark, as they try to defuse tensions sparked by President Donald Trump’s threat to take the island by force, the report said.

Trump said in January that the US should "own" Greenland to stop Russia or China from gaining influence there. He warned this could happen the "easy way " or "the hard way."

The White House confirmed high-level talks with Greenland and Denmark but declined to discuss details. A White House official said that the administration was optimistic the negotiations were moving in the right direction, according to the report.

Denmark has previously shown willingness to discuss more American military bases in Greenland, and its Foreign Ministry confirmed talks with Washington are ongoing.

"There is an ongoing diplomatic track with the United States. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not go into further detail at this time," a spokesperson from Denmark's ministry said.

US officials have proposed an arrangement in which the three new bases would be designated as sovereign US territory, mainly focused on monitoring possible Russian and Chinese maritime activity in the region.

No final agreement has been reached, and the number of bases could still change, according to the report. US officials have also not suggested seizing Greenland itself during the talks, an idea rejected publicly by both Denmark and NATO.