Danish leader says 'you cannot spy against an ally' after reports of US gathering intel on Greenland

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told The Associated Press “you cannot spy against an ally” after reports that the United States has stepped up intelligence gathering on Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory coveted by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Frederiksen's comments Friday are the latest in the spat between Denmark, Greenland and the United States because Trump seeks to annex the strategic Arctic island. Denmark and Greenland insist that the mineral-rich island is not for sale, while Trump has not ruled out taking it by military force even though Denmark is a NATO ally.

The Danish prime minister spoke to the AP the day after Denmark summoned the top American diplomat in the country for an explanation following a Wall Street Journal report which said several high-ranking officials under the U.S. director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, had directed intelligence agency heads to learn more about Greenland’s independence movement and sentiment about U.S. resource extraction there.

Jennifer Hall Godfrey, acting head of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, met with high-ranking Danish diplomat Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen at the Danish Foreign Ministry, the ministry said in an email. It provided no further details. The embassy declined to comment.

Frederiksen said Friday the report was “rumors” in an international newspaper. The Journal cited two people familiar with the U.S. effort which it did not identify.

“Cooperation about defense and deterrence and security in the northern part of Europe is getting more and more important,” Frederiksen said. “Of course, you cannot spy against an ally.”

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, in comments to Greenland newspaper Sermitsiaq, said the reports of espionage are unacceptable and disrespectful.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said Friday there is “no question” that the pressure Denmark and Greenland are under “doesn't feel right." He spoke after a security meeting in Norway where the issue of Greenland was discussed between Nordic and Baltic leaders and the U.K., with representatives from Greenland and the Faroe Islands dialling in via video link.

In response to questions about the Journal’s report, Gabbard’s office released a statement noting that she had made three “criminal” referrals to the Justice Department over intelligence community leaks.

“The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the President by politicizing and leaking classified information,” Gabbard wrote. “They are breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy. Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Greenland’s prime minister said last month that U.S. statements about the island have been disrespectful and it “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone.”

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Friday said those who believe there is “another kind of legal regime in the Arctic” should be told that “this is not the case.”

Speaking ahead of the Joint Expeditionary Force leaders’ meeting in Oslo, Gahr Støre said there seemed to be suggestions that “in the Arctic, there is some kind of terra nullius, law doesn’t apply.”

“It applies, sovereignty applies. And Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said ahead of the meeting with the leaders of the U.K., Nordic and Baltic nations.

Ukrainian President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens to Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, as he joins Europe leaders via video link, during a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in Oslo, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer talks to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Leaders' Summit in Oslo, Friday, May 9, 2025.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen listens, during a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in Oslo, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer listens, during a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in Oslo, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Ukrainian President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy joins Europe leaders via video link, during a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in Oslo, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen listens during the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Leaders' Summit in Oslo, Friday, May 9, 2025.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

PARIS (AP) — A Paris court is to rule on Monday in a case involving 10 people accused of cyberbullying French first lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, allegations her daughter said damaged her health and family life.

The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 60, are accused of posting “numerous malicious comments” falsely claiming that President Emmanuel Macron ’s wife was born a man and linking the 24-year age gap with her husband to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October.

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she described as the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the online harassment intensified. “She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,” Auzière told the court. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macron’s grandchildren.

Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered as having played a major role in spreading the rumor after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.

The X account of Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoé Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations.

Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were intended as humor or satire and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.

The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.

The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron, 24 years her husband’s senior, was then called Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three.

Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been France’s president since 2017.

FILE - French President's wife Brigitte Macron arrives ahead of the ceremony outside "La Belle Equipe" bar, Thursday Nov. 13, 2025 in Paris as part of ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks. (Ludovic Marin, Pool photo via AP, File)