Trump ramps up threats to seize Greenland
President Donald Trump said the United States should own Greenland to prevent Russia or China from invading it in the future.
“We’re going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not. Because if we don’t, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we won’t have Russia or China as neighbors,” Trump told reporters as he met with oil company executives at the White House on Friday.
Trump said the United States should take Greenland, but despite having a military presence on the island under a treaty signed in 1951, such agreements are not enough to guarantee Greenland’s defense. The island, with a population of 57,000, is an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark.
“You’re defending property. You’re not defending leases. And we’re going to have to defend Greenland. If we don’t do it, China or Russia will,” Trump said.
Trump and White House officials have been discussing various plans to bring Greenland under US control, including the potential use of the US military and lump sum payments to the Greenlanders as part of an attempt to persuade the Greenlanders to secede from Denmark and potentially join the US.
Leaders in Copenhagen and across Europe have reacted with disdain in recent days to comments by Trump and other White House officials defending Greenland rights. The United States and Denmark are NATO allies bound by a mutual defense agreement.
On Tuesday, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and Denmark issued a joint statement stating that only Greenland and Denmark can decide on issues related to their relations.
