The White House and Denmark contradicted each other in public about what they had agreed to this week as President Trump continued to demand U.S. ownership of Greenland.

Denmark's foreign minister said the closed-door meeting was a "frank but also constructive" discussion. He said a high-level working group would be formed "to explore if we can find a common way forward.

Trump has said acquiring Greenland is a national security priority, and that the U.S. must own the island to prevent Russia or China from taking it. The shortest route from Europe to North America runs via Greenland, making it important for the U.S. ballistic missile early-warning system.

Denmark’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” with U.S. President Donald Trump over the future of Greenland remained unresolved after high-level talks in Washington, even as Denmark and NATO allies moved to increase their military presence in the Arctic territory amid rising tensions.

While Denmark has ruled Greenland for centuries, the territory has gradually been moving toward independence, a goal shared by all political parties elected to the island’s parliament.

Denmark’s top diplomats said they held their ground in a crucial meeting with the U.S. vice-president and secretary of state over the future of Greenland. At the same time, the small European country drafted help from some of its larger neighbours to send a message to the U.

As Trump threatens to take Greenland, the island’s Indigenous people say Denmark is making decisions about their future without them.

The new meme came from a video clip of Motzfeldt bumming a smoke from Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen near the Washington monument.

A high-stakes meeting happened Wednesday at the White House between top U.S. and Danish officials about Greenland's fate.

A Danish government official says Denmark provided the U.S. with support seizing an oil tanker violating sanctions amid the dispute over Greenland