President Donald Trump has reiterated that the United States “needs” Greenland for national security purposes.
The US president has indicated he’s willing to send American troops to take control of the Danish territory.
“I think it’ll happen,” Trump said of annexing the island during an Oval Office meeting with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trump told Rutte that Greenland is needed “for national security” and suggested “Nato might have to get involved anyway”.
The former president has indicated he’s willing to send American troops to take control of the Danish territory
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When asked about the issue, Rutte declined to engage.
He said: “When it comes to Greenland, yes or no joining the US, I would leave that outside, for me, this discussion.”
Trump noted the US already has military presence on the island: “We have a couple of bases on Greenland already and we have quite a few soldiers. May be you will see more and more soldiers go there.”
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, present in the Oval Office, nodded in agreement.
Greenlanders have firmly rejected Trump’s ambitions in their recent election.
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Greenlanders have firmly rejected Trump’s ambitions in their recent election
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Voters gave first place to Demokraatit, a centre-right party that has never held power but strongly opposes American takeover of the island.
The election results signal clear resistance to Trump’s plans for annexation.
Demokraatit’s leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the incoming prime minister, was unequivocal in his rejection of American control.
“We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our own independence in the future,” Nielsen told Sky News.
“And we want to build our own country by ourselves.”
Donald Trump’s private jet touching down in Greenland’s capital Nuuk in January
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The election wasn’t just a rejection of American control but of Danish oversight too.
Second place in the vote went to a political party advocating for independence from Denmark within the next three years.
This reflects a broader desire among Greenlanders to establish their own sovereign nation.
Trump is interested in Greenland’s strategic position in the North Atlantic and its mineral wealth.
The island is also believed to have natural gas and oil reserves offshore.
Demokraatit’s leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the incoming prime minister, was unequivocal in his rejection of American control
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Many Greenlanders fear a forceful takeover by the US.
“I think most of us have been scared since the new year because of Trump’s interest,” said Pipaluk Lynge, a member of parliament.
Greenland is the world’s largest island with a population of about 56,000 people.
It has been under Danish control for almost 300 years, becoming a formal territory in 1953.
The island gained home rule in 1979 but still receives about £1billion from Denmark.