The leaders of Greenland and Denmark hit back at President Donald Trump after he once again raised the prospect of bringing the Arctic island under U.S. control.
âWe need Greenland from the standpoint of national security and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,â Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One. The president has repeatedly argued that Denmark is incapable of adequately securing the strategically located and mineral-rich territory.
Trumpâs remarks set off alarm bells in Copenhagen, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to urge Trump to âstop the threats.â
âThe Kingdom of Denmark â and thus Greenland â is part of NATO and is therefore covered by the allianceâs security guarantee. We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the United States today, which gives the United States wide access to Greenland,â Frederiksen said in a Sunday statement. âI would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale.â
Trump has long advocated for U.S. control of the self-governing territory, strategically located between the U.S., Russia, and Europe, as well as rich in critical minerals.
âRight now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,â Trump said on Air Force One, but he tempered the immediacy, saying the U.S. will âworry about Greenland in about two months.â
Trumpâs push has been met with fierce opposition from both Danish and Greenlandic officials. In August, Denmarkâs foreign ministry summoned the top U.S. diplomat in Copenhagen over reports that the United States was conducting an influence campaign in Greenland.
âThreats, pressure and talk of annexation do not belong anywhere between friends. Thatâs not how you talk to a people who have repeatedly shown responsibility, stability and loyalty,â Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Sunday statement. âThis is enough. No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation.â
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In late December, Trump tapped Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as U.S. special envoy to Greenland. Landry, a close ally of the president, has openly embraced Trumpâs vision.
âWe need to ensure that Greenland joins the United States,â Landry wrote on X the week prior to Trumpâs inauguration. âGREAT for them, GREAT for us! Letâs get it done!â
Katie Miller â the wife of White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller â posted an image of Greenland draped in an American flag with the word âSOONâ on X shortly after Maduro was captured.
Trumpâs renewed push also comes on the heels of a U.S. operation Saturday that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President NicolĂĄs Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were transported to New York to face criminal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy.
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