"We have to get Greenland. This has to be completed. Denmark cannot protect the island, even though they are a wonderful people. I know their leaders very well, but they don't even go there," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters in Florida on 19/1.
Denmark has not commented on this statement, but has repeatedly affirmed that it and its European allies are capable of protecting Greenland's security. Meanwhile, the U.S. President believes European leaders will "not be too opposed" to his efforts to acquire Greenland.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had agreed to attend a "multi-party" meeting on Greenland at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week, without specifying the parties involved.
"I also had a very good phone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about the Greenland issue," he stated in the post.
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U.S. President Donald Trump in Detroit, Michigan on 13/1. *AFP* |
Greenland, the world's largest island, is located near North America, between the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. It has a population of 57,000 and covers an area of about 2,16 million square kilometers. Positioned on the shortest route from North America to Europe, Greenland is a strategically important location for Washington, possessing abundant, largely untapped mineral resources.
The U.S. President has recently and repeatedly asserted the need to control Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. He has also left open the possibility of using force to achieve this goal, despite opposition from Copenhagen and many European nations.
"As I have made very clear to everyone, Greenland is a must-have for national and global security," he wrote on Truth Social. "There will be no turning back, and everyone agrees with that."
On 17/1, Trump threatened to impose a 10% tariff on all goods imported from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland. This tariff will take effect from 1/2 and increase to 25% by early 6. According to him, this measure will remain in place until the U.S. reaches an agreement to acquire Greenland "completely and fully."
Europe is considering countermeasures following Trump's tariff threats. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who led the U.S. delegation in Davos, warned that a response from the European Union (EU) to the U.S. "would be very unwise."
EU leaders will hold an emergency summit in Brussels on 22/1 to discuss their response to the Greenland issue, which is one of the most serious crises impacting transatlantic relations in recent years.
Huyen Le (According to Reuters, AFP)
