DANISH Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said she hopes Denmark and the United States can find a way forward on issues concerning the Arctic and Greenland through peaceful co-operation.

Ms Frederiksen told a press conference following the European Arctic Summit in the northern Finnish city of Rovaniemi on Monday that Greenland had been under pressure and thanked European partners for their strong support.

She said Denmark wanted closer co-operation with the US on security and defence, including in Greenland. 

A high-level working group on the self-governing Danish territory has not finished its deliberations, making it too early to draw conclusions, Ms Frederiksen added, but she expressed optimism about the prospects for progress.

The Danish prime minister said: “My hope is, of course, that we will find a way forward in peaceful co-operation.”

On Arctic security, Ms Frederiksen said several allies were exercising together in Greenland, while European and transatlantic partners were taking greater collective responsibility for security in Greenland and the wider Arctic.

The summit, held on September 13-14, aimed to strengthen the European Union’s common strategic approach to the Arctic.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take over Greenland, straining relations with Denmark and other European nations.