Five takeaways from crunch White House talks on Greenland’s future

A high-stakes meeting between the U.S., Denmark and Greenland over the Arctic island's future ended without a major breakthrough, amplifying concerns about the prospect of a near-term solution. The White House meeting on Wednesday between U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland's Vivian Motzfeldt lasted for about an hour. Denmark's Rasmussen described the conversation as "frank but constructive," but added that U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats to take control of Greenland were "totally unacceptable." CNBC takes a look at five key takeaways from the White House showdown. A working group For some, the White House talks did achieve something significant. The U.S., Denmark and Greenland agreed to establish a high-level working group to try to determine a way forward for the self-governing Danish territory. By doing so, Penny Naas, senior vice president at GMF, a Washington-based think tank, said the three countries had averted a worst-case scenario. Read more "Greenland's strategic importance has made it a focal point of sustained U.S. interest, including periodic pushes for acquisition. Yet Greenlanders have been unequivocal: they value their deep ties with Denmark, NATO, and Europe, and do not see their future as part of the United States," Naas told CNBC by email. "Bridging this gap, between a U.S. administration that still signals a desire to 'own' Greenland and a Greenlandic population firmly committed to self determination, will require creativity and a realistic appreciation of the concerns on all sides," she added. Rasmussen said the working group planned to meet over the coming weeks in a bid to find a compromise. He said Denmark and Greenland were receptive to the possibility of the U.S. opening more military bases on the island - but insisted there were some "red lines" Washington could not cross. Trump stands firm Just hours before Wednesday's meeting was set to get underway, Trump said anything less than Greenland becoming a part of the United States would be "unacceptable." He later reiterated this stance, telling reporters in the Oval Office: "We need Greenland for national security." Guntram Wolff, senior fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank, said Trump's push to take control of Greenland is seen as "totally unacceptable" to Europe and raises questions about the integrity of the NATO military alliance . "If the U.S. president says he can only defend what he owns, well what he is basically saying is he cannot defend Europe under any circumstances because he doesn't own Europe, right?" Wolff told CNBC's " Europe Early Edition " on Thursday. "And so, that means Article 5 of NATO, the support of the U.S. president for European security, cannot be taken for granted anymore," he added. NATO's Article 5 mutual defense clause means that an attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all allies. The U.S. and Denmark, which is responsible for the defense of Greenland, are both NATO members. What about Russia and China? Trump, who has long coveted control...

Preview: ~500 words