White House Says ‘Trump Wants Greenland’: Why America’s Arctic Fantasy Is Being Called Reckless | World News

Washington DC: The White House reiterated President Donald Trump’s desire for the United States to purchase Greenland, describing the move as a matter of national survival and strategic security.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the president believes Greenland is important to America’s future interests. “The president has made his priority pretty clear. He wants the United States to take Greenland. He thinks it’s in our best national security to do so,” he said.

His comments came a day after Denmark and Greenland rejected the possibility of a US takeover of Greenland. At the same time, Copenhagen and Nuuk announced the establishment of a high-level working group with Washington aimed at addressing security concerns in America’s Arctic region.

This position was announced by Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt at a press conference at the Danish embassy in Washington. The briefing came after meetings with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House.

Rasmussen acknowledged that President Trump talked about control of Greenland. He said discussions in Washington have led to some moves in tone. “It is clear that the President has a desire to conquer Greenland. We have made it very clear that this is not in the Kingdom’s interest. The Prime Minister made it very clear yesterday that Greenland will remain within the Kingdom of Denmark for now and in the future, and so this is a common position that we want to work on with our American friends and allies, but there must be respectful cooperation and the red lines must be respected,” he said.

Earlier the same day, President Trump reiterated Greenland’s strategic importance and warned that global rivals were closely monitoring the Arctic. Speaking at the White House during a signing ceremony, he said, “We need Greenland for national security, so we are going to see what happens. We have a very good relationship with Denmark. If we don’t go in, Russia and China will go in. It is not a thing that Denmark can do anything about, but we can do everything about it.”

Greenland Foreign Minister Motzfeldt emphasized that stronger cooperation with Washington does not require giving up control over the island. “This doesn’t mean we want to be owned by the United States,” he said.

He then added that Greenland is focused on choosing a careful and balanced path forward, based on dialogue and mutual respect. He also called for the restoration of stable relations between Nuuk and Washington. “The United States and Greenland need to return to the normalized relationship we used to have. It is in the interest of both countries to find a balance and work as allies. We are allies, we are friends,” he said.