Trump eyes action on Greenland, setting up White House face-off with Denmark
Leaders from Greenland and Denmark are slated to meet with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio Wednesday at the White House as President Donald Trump weighs acquiring Greenland.
While the Danish territory claims it is seeking independence from Copenhagen, Denmark, and isn’t interested in becoming part of the U.S., Trump has repeatedly stated a desire to secure Greenland for the U.S. as Russian and Chinese presence grows in the Arctic — dating back to his first administration.
“One way or the other, we are going to have Greenland,” Trump told reporters Sunday.
Trump voiced similar sentiments Wednesday ahead of the meeting, claiming that the region is critical for the creation of a Golden Dome project, a defense shield initiative for the U.S. akin to the one Israel has protecting itself.
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“The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security,” Trump said in a post on social media Wednesday. “It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it.”
“NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” Trump wrote. “Anything less than that is unacceptable.”
While Greenland and Denmark have a complicated history due to Denmark’s treatment of indigenous people on the island, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said that his country prefers aligning itself with Denmark rather than the U.S.
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“If we have to choose between the USA and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,” Nielsen told reporters Tuesday, according to translated remarks. “We choose NATO, the Kingdom of Denmark and the EU.”
Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has issued stern warnings to the Trump administration on the matter.
“The Kingdom of Denmark — and thus Greenland — is part of NATO and is therefore covered by the alliance’s security guarantee,” Frederiksen said in a statement Jan. 4. “We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the United States today, which gives the United States wide access to Greenland.”
“I 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,” Frederiksen said.
Greenland is rich in natural resources, including oil and natural gas, and both Russia and China have bolstered their presence in the region in recent years.
Vance and second lady Usha Vance visited Pituffik Space Base in Greenland in March, the Department of Defense’s northernmost military installation that houses Space Force’sSpace Force’s 821st Space Base Group to conduct missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations.
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