‘Enough is enough’: Greenland hits back after Trump reaches out to NATO over plan to take island

Greenland’s pro-business opposition Demokraatit party, which wants a slow approach to independence from Denmark, won Tuesday’s parliamentary election. On Thursday, Trump said that election was good for the United States.

Even before starting his second term as president, Trump said he hoped to make Greenland a part of the United States, even though NATO ally Denmark says it is not for sale.

Greenland’s strategic location and rich mineral resources could benefit the US. It lies along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for the US ballistic missile warning system.

Rutte told Trump that he would leave the question of Greenland’s future to others and that, “I don’t want to drag NATO” into the debate. He said it should be a topic for countries in the “high north” because China and Russia are using water routes in the area.

Trump persisted, saying Denmark was refusing to discuss the topic and that he might send more US troops to bolster the American bases on Greenland.

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“We’ve been dealing with Denmark, we’ve been dealing with Greenland, and we have to do it. We really need it for national security. I think that’s why NATO might have to get involved in a way, because we really need Greenland for national security. It’s very important,” Trump said.

Trump also sought to undermine Denmark’s claim to the island.

“You know, Denmark’s very far away, and really has nothing to do. What happens, a boat landed there 200 years ago or something? And they say they have rights to it. I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t think it is,” he said.

Trump has also managed to annoy Canadians with his proposal that the country become the 51st state of the US, and has demanded the US exert more influence over the Panama canal.

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Reuters

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