U.S. President Donald Trump has responded to criticism from Greenland and Denmark over Washington’s renewed interest in taking control of the mineral-rich island.
Asked by a reporter on Sunday whether he expects to take action on Greenland—a self-governing Danish territory—Trump said, “Let’s talk about Greenland in about 20 days.”
He added: “We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.
“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it. I can tell you … They added one more dog sled.”
Asked by another reporter traveling with him on Air Force One what the justification for a United States claim to Greenland would be, Trump responded, “I just say this. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and the European Union needs us to have it as well.”
When a reporter suggested that the claim to Greenland could impact relations with China, the president replied: “I think I have a very good relationship [with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping]. We have the power of tariffs, and he has other powers.”
US Has ‘No Right to Annex’: Danish Prime Minister
The leaders of both Denmark and Greenland urged Trump on Sunday to stop threatening to take over Greenland after the U.S. president repeated the intention to do so in an interview with The Atlantic magazine and following the United States’ extraordinary weekend operation in Venezuela.
“It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland. The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday.
Speaking just a day after the United States’ capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and Trump’s announcement that Washington would temporarily run the Latin American country, the U.S. President told The Atlantic: “We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that the world should take notice after the U.S. operation in Venezuela.
“When [Trump] tells you that he’s going to do something, when he tells you he’s going to address a problem, he means it,” Rubio said.
The weekend’s events have heightened concerns in Denmark that a United States takeover could happen with Greenland, which has been an autonomous Danish territory since 1979, before which it was governed more directly by Copenhagen.
‘Not for Sale’
Frederiksen said: “I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.”
The prime minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a statement posted on social media on Sunday: “When the President of the United States says that ‘we need Greenland’ and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it’s not just wrong. It’s disrespectful.
“Threats, pressure, and talk of annexation have no place between friends.
“Enough is enough. … No more fantasies about annexation.”
Trump on Dec. 21 named Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland. Landry publicly supports Trump’s suggestion that Greenland, which is geographically close to North America, being just 16 miles (26 km) from Canada’s Ellesmere Island, should become part of the United States.
Greenland is the world’s largest island, and its mineral wealth is a key attraction as Washington hopes to reduce its reliance on Chinese exports amid ongoing trade tariff wars and national security concerns.
Greenland’s strategic position between North America and Europe also makes it a key location for the U.S. ballistic-missile defense system.
UK’s Starmer Backs Denmark
A former Danish colony, Greenland has the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement, but appears unlikely to do so as it depends heavily on Danish subsidies to support its economy.
Denmark has sought to repair fraught relations with Greenland over the past year, while simultaneously trying to ease tensions with the Trump administration by investing in Arctic defense.
Other European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, have both spoken in support of Greenland remaining an autonomous Danish territory.
Asked by the BBC whether he would also say to Trump “hands off Greenland,” Starmer replied, “Yes.”
“Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must decide the future of Greenland—and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.
“And Denmark is a close ally in Europe, is a NATO ally, and it is very important that the future of Greenland is for the Kingdom of Denmark and for Greenland themselves and only for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.”
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