Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has described U.S. control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, as an "absolute necessity". Axios said that the Danish government wanted to convince Trump that his security concerns could be addressed without claiming Greenland.

Denmark sent private messages in recent days to President-elect Trump's team expressing willingness to discuss boosting security in Greenland or increasing the U.S. military presence on the island, two sources with knowledge of the issue tell Axios.