Donald Trump reiterated on Wednesday that the United States needs Greenland and that Denmark cannot be relied upon to protect the island, even as he said that “something will work out” with respect to the future governance of the Danish overseas territory. The remarks came after a high-stakes meeting between US, Danish and Greenlandic officials failed to resolve a fundamental disagreement over the Arctic island.
“Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “And the problem is there’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do.” He pointed to recent US action in Venezuela as an example.
Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said Trump remains intent on “conquering” Greenland and that the talks did not change the American position. “We made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of the kingdom,” he said, urging Washington to engage in “respectful” cooperation.
In a show of European support, France, Germany and Norway have said they would contribute troops to a multinational force led by Denmark, increasing the military presence in and around Greenland. Denmark’s defence ministry confirmed the deployment would include aircraft, vessels and soldiers from Nato allies. The two sides agreed to create a working group to discuss security concerns while respecting Denmark’s red lines.
Trump continued his social media offensive against the Nato ally, posting that “Nato should be leading the way for us to get it” and that the alliance would become “far more formidable and effective” with Greenland under US control. He first raised the idea of a takeover in 2019 and has since said the US would take it “one way or the other”.
