Donald Trump has suggested the United States could pull all its troops out of Europe as he renewed his criticism of NATO allies over their opposition to his ambition to annex Greenland. Speaking at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, the president argued that the semi-autonomous Danish territory should be controlled by the United States.
Trump's Remarks at NATO Summit
Responding to a question about the dispute, Trump said: "That's what hurt my relationship with NATO, because Greenland doesn't help Denmark. Denmark doesn't spend money to really help Greenland, but it's an important part for the United States, and it's surrounded by China ships and Russian ships, and that's not going to happen." He added that Greenland "should be controlled by the United States."
Trump further threatened: "And when they wouldn't go along with it, and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia, and we don't have to spend any money, we could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe, because, as you probably noticed, Europe's a very different place than it was 20 years ago, lot different, much different, much different, and they better be careful with immigration and energy. If they're not careful with those two things, you're not going to have a Europe anymore."
European Reaction
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously joined other European leaders in rallying behind Denmark over Greenland. UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves stated: "The future of Greenland is up to the people of Greenland and of Denmark, and not up to the US president. I've been very clear about that ever since it was first suggested."
The comments come at a crucial summit for the military alliance, highlighting ongoing tensions over territorial ambitions and defense spending among NATO members.
