US president mentioned ‘we’ve got to persuade them’, as he claimed taking management of Greenland was important for US nationwide safety.
United States President Donald Trump has re-asserted his need for Washington to take control of Greenland, prematurely of a controversial deliberate go to to the Danish autonomous territory by Vice President JD Vance.
“We’d like Greenland for worldwide security and safety. We’d like it. We now have to have it,” Trump mentioned in an interview on Wednesday.
“I hate to place it that method, however we’re going to must have it,” he mentioned.
Since returning to the White Home in January, President Trump has repeatedly insisted he desires to take management of Greenland for nationwide safety functions.
Trump has refused to rule out the usage of army power to convey the Arctic territory beneath Washington’s management, regardless of it being dominated by NATO-ally Denmark for six centuries.
“We now have to have that land as a result of it’s not attainable to correctly defend a big part of this Earth, not simply the US, with out it,” Trump mentioned.
“It’s an island that from a defensive posture, and even offensive posture, is one thing we want, particularly with the world the way in which it’s, and we’re going to must have it,” he mentioned.
Situated between North America and Europe, Greenland is of geo-strategic significance at a time of rising US, Chinese language and Russian curiosity within the Arctic.
The territory additionally holds large untapped mineral and oil reserves – although exploration is presently banned – that would considerably shift the dynamics of worldwide commerce.
Requested by the interviewer if he thought Greenlanders have been keen to affix the US, Trump mentioned he didn’t know, however “we’ve got to persuade them”.
Greenland has repeatedly declared its said purpose of eventual independence from Denmark. Earlier this month, the centre-right opposition Demokraatit celebration – which is described as pro-business and in favour of a sluggish strategy to independence – gained parliamentary elections within the territory.
In gentle of the Trump administration’s more and more assertive overtures, 85 p.c of the semi-autonomous Arctic territory’s inhabitants has additionally expressed their opposition to coming beneath Washington’s rule.
Trump’s newest incendiary remarks come as Vice President Vance is about to accompany his spouse, Usha, on a go to to Greenland this Friday.
An preliminary itinerary, which included a go to to a dogsled race, brought on anger amongst Greenlandic officers and most of the people. Vance, his spouse and different Trump administration officers will now go to a US army base in Greenland as a substitute.
The territory’s appearing head of presidency, Mute Egede, had labelled the uninvited journey a “provocation” and “overseas interference” in its affairs. Posting on Fb, the outgoing Greenlandic authorities mentioned it had not “prolonged any invites for any visits, neither non-public nor official”.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen additionally accused the US of exerting “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland and Denmark by means of the journey.
“It’s stress that we’ll resist,” she advised Danish media on Tuesday. “That is clearly not a go to that’s about what Greenland wants or desires.”
Responding to the backlash, the White Home later introduced that the Vances will now go to the US-run Pituffik Area Base in Greenland in lieu of the dogsled race, the place an anti-US demonstration was reportedly deliberate.
Danish International Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen welcomed the choice to restrict the go to to the US base.
“I feel it’s very constructive that the Individuals have cancelled their go to amongst Greenlandic society. They’ll solely go to their very own base, Pituffik, and we’ve got nothing in opposition to that,” he mentioned.
Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen mentioned visiting the army base was a “a lot wiser choice” than interfering in “what is occurring in Greenlandic politics”.
