Greenland faces a potentially pivotal week as the island hosts a major conference on its future, with EU development chief Jozef Síkela and US Special Envoy Jeff Landry set to attend. The Danish government, meanwhile, will be absent amid stalled coalition talks.

Landry’s participation in the conference was only confirmed on Friday, with an unusually opaque US consulate inauguration the only item on his agenda until then. But after he arrived on Sunday, the embassy announced that he would also meet on Monday with “a wide range of Greenlanders” to discuss “increasing economic opportunities, strengthening personal relationships and increasing understanding between the US and Greenland”.

His trip comes as Washington signals interest in three new potential military bases in Greenland.

The US special envoy, who as governor of Louisiana has vowed to bring “great Cajun food” to the Nordic territory, is not part of the trilateral talks on the potential new US bases. The topic is being discussed through a structured working group between Denmark, Greenland, and the US.

No PM meeting on Landry’s agenda

Two of the potential locations, Narsarsuaq and Kangerlussuaq, were identified by local media after US personnel visited them to assess infrastructure and operational suitability.

“There are official negotiations between Denmark, the Greenlandic government, and US authorities in the working group, and we hear that they are making progress,” said Peter Viggo Jakobsen, associate professor at the Danish Defence Academy, speaking to Euractiv.

As talks on the bases seemingly fall outside his purview, Landry’s visit doesn’t appear to have clear aims – and it is still unknown whether Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen will meet the US official.

“On one hand, you have official negotiations; on the other, you have what you might call ‘Trump’s side of things’, where Trump and his people are still making noises about wanting control over Greenland,” Jakobsen said.

The prime minister himself said last week that they “know this game in Greenland. We have been under this pressure for 15–16 months,” adding that “if Landry wants to meet, I need to have a clear agenda of what he wants.”

Landry and US Ambassador to Denmark Ken Howery will attend the Future Greenland conference, which will bring together Greenlandic and EU political leaders, international officials, and business representatives, although they were not listed among the official speakers until late.

Copenhagen’s conspicuous absence

The US is meanwhile preparing to inaugurate a new consulate in Nuuk on 21 May, a rare occasion for US and Danish officials to meet. The Danish foreign ministry confirmed to Euractiv that it will participate at a “high official level.”

The confirmation comes after weeks of uncertainty, as the US Embassy in Denmark had not released an official programme for the event.

The new consulate will be located in the basement of a building already secured and outfitted by the US in 2024, although Washington has consistently avoided confirming its use, even after US aircraft reportedly transported armoured vehicles to Nuuk in 2025 for a potential visit by Vice President JD Vance, which was eventually cancelled.

The armoured vehicles are still believed to be stored in the building.

The EU will be represented at the conference by Síkela, who is also expected to meet with Nielsen while in the country this week.

This makes Denmark’s absence in Nuuk, due to protracted talks to form a new coalition government, all the more noticeable. The talks have already led European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to push back a planned visit to the Danish territory.

“I wish we had a Danish government soon,” Nielsen said last week. “That would be great for us in Greenland. Because when we talk about foreign policy and defence and so on, it’s about the Kingdom of Denmark, that is, Greenland and Denmark together.”

(at, aw)