Since that Jan. 15 call, whose aggressive tenor was earlier reported by The Financial Times, Denmark has tried to calm the waters, urging its partners in the European Union not to inflame the situation until matters become more clear, the officials said. The issue of Greenland is not on the agenda for an E.U. foreign affairs council meeting in Brussels on Monday, for example.

If Mr. Trump decides to pressure Denmark with economic means, through tariffs, the European Union itself would be expected to respond as a whole with countertariffs, said Zaki Laïdi, a professor at Sciences Po and an adviser to the former E.U. foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell Fontelles.

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