Trump says US needs to ‘own’ Greenland to prevent Russia and China from taking it
President Donald Trump said the United States must “own” Greenland to prevent Russia and China from doing so.
“Countries are supposed to own property, and you defend property, you don’t defend leases, and we’re going to have to defend Greenland,” Trump told reporters on Friday.
Trump said we will do this “the easy way” or the “hard way”; It was a comment that followed recent White House comments that the administration was considering purchasing the semi-autonomous region of NATO member Denmark but had not ruled out forcibly annexing it to the United States.
Denmark and Greenland say that the region is not for sale. Denmark said the military action would mean the end of the trans-Atlantic defense alliance.
Although it is the most sparsely populated region, Greenland’s location between North America and the Arctic makes it well placed for early warning systems and monitoring of ships in the area in the event of missile attacks.
The US president has repeatedly said that Greenland is vital to US national security, claiming without any evidence that it is “covered everywhere with Russian and Chinese ships.”
The United States currently has more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at the Pituffik base on the northwestern tip of Greenland, which has been operated by the United States since World War II.
According to current agreements with Denmark, the United States has the authority to bring as many troops as it wants to Greenland.
However, speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump said the lease was not good enough.
“Countries cannot make nine-year or even 100-year agreements,” he said, adding that they must own them.
“I love the Chinese people. I love the Russian people,” Trump said. “But I don’t want them to be neighbors in Greenland, that’s not going to happen.”
“By the way, NATO also needs to understand this,” the US president added.
Denmark’s NATO allies (major European countries and Canada) rallied in support of NATO this week with statements confirming that “only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relationship.”
Emphasizing that they are as keen as the United States on the security of the Arctic, the leaders said that this should be achieved “collectively” by allies, including the United States.
They also called for “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of frontiers.”
Concerns about the future of the region resurfaced after Trump used military force to capture Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro on Saturday.
Trump previously made an offer to buy the island during his first presidential term in 2019, but was told that the island was not for sale.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold talks with Denmark next week.
In recent years, interest in Greenland’s natural resources such as rare earth minerals, uranium and iron has also increased, and access to these resources is becoming easier as the ice melts due to climate change. Scientists think it may also have significant oil and gas reserves.
