Danish politician who has chaired the liberal party Venstre since November 2023 and has sat in the Folketing since 2001. He was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence until 3 June 2026.
Case
Trump says a U.S.-Denmark-Greenland security agreement gives the United States permanent control over security in Greenland. Denmark and Greenland welcome an expected agreement; Denmark's prime minister cites sovereignty and self-determination. AP reports they did not confirm his specifics, and the text is unpublished.
Role at the time: Chair of Venstre (a party outside the government formed on 3 June 2026), member of the Folketing and deputy chair of its Foreign Policy Committee, in a post on his X account
Statement summary
In a Danish-language post on X, Venstre chair Troels Lund Poulsen called the news that Greenland, Denmark and the United States are moving toward an agreement an important and positive piece of news, and said it is absolutely crucial that the agreement recognises the Kingdom's sovereignty and Greenlanders' right to decide their own future. The quotation is DI's English translation of the Danish original.
“An important and positive piece of news for Greenland, Denmark and our shared security. Greenland, Denmark and the USA are on their way toward an agreement that is to strengthen security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic. For me it is absolutely crucial that the agreement recognises the Kingdom's sovereignty and Greenlanders' right to decide their own future. These are fundamental principles that we must stand firm on.”
The case's fixed reference point is President Trump's description, in his Truth Social post of 2026-09-18, of the not-yet-signed, unpublished U.S.-Denmark-Greenland agreement as giving the United States permanent control over security and all other needs in Greenland. Poulsen welcomes the news of an agreement but calls it absolutely crucial that the agreement recognise the Kingdom's sovereignty and Greenlanders' right to decide their own future, a condition that was still open because the text was unpublished, and he does not mention Trump's description. The closest competing label is defends_or_excuses, because he calls the news positive. That loses because his welcome is tied to an express sovereignty condition, and his stress on sovereignty is a condition on his own support rather than a dispute of Trump's wording, which he does not address.
Statement dates: September 19, 2026
Statement dates: September 19, 2026
Statement dates: September 19, 2026
