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.

Before President-elect Donald Trump’s latest remarks, King Frederik X signaled his commitment to the territory in a decidedly old-fashioned way.

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.