“The United States needs Greenland for national security purposes,” President Trump said in a social media post.
Greenland pushes back against US takeover threat
Greenland “has no intention of becoming America,” he said, emphasizing its alliance with the United States even though it remains in Denmark.
President Donald Trump reiterated his position that the United States “needs” Greenland for national security purposes in a social media post ahead of Vice President J.D. Vance’s meeting with Danish officials on the issue.
President Trump’s comments about Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, have alarmed leaders in Copenhagen and other European capitals. “Whether they like it or not, we’re going to do something in Greenland,” the president said in a meeting with oil company executives last week.
President Trump added, “I want to get a deal the easy way, but if we can’t get a deal the easy way, we’re going to get a deal the hard way.”
Denmark has requested talks with the Trump administration as the president continues to focus on territorial gains. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen said on January 12 that he had originally planned to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but that Vance had requested his participation. Rubio said he would still attend the January 14 meeting.
Vance visited a US military base in Greenland last year.
Ahead of the meeting, President Trump posted on social media: “The United States needs Greenland for national security purposes.”
“NATO should take the lead in helping us get it. If we don’t, Russia or China will, and that’s not going to happen!” Trump added.
The threat to take Greenland by force raises questions about what it means for NATO, which includes the United States and Denmark and which obliges member states to come to each other’s aid if attacked.
“With Greenland in American hands, NATO will become more formidable and effective,” Trump said in a Jan. 14 post.
“Anything less is unacceptable,” he added.
Frank Rose, who served as assistant secretary of state in the Obama administration, helped negotiate the last defense agreement between the United States and the local governments of Denmark and Greenland in 2003 and 2004. The agreement was an update of the 1951 U.S.-Denmark defense agreement that gave the Pentagon very wide latitude to build military bases in Arctic territory.
Rose said in an interview that the Trump administration is right to reassess the U.S. presence in Greenland in light of intrusive and evolving threats from China and Russia. However, he said it is a “red herring” to suggest that Denmark does not have the capacity to defend Greenland, as President Trump has said, since the United States has had the primary responsibility for defending Greenland for the past 75 years under the defense agreement.
Rose also pointed out that the Danes are willing to allow the United States to build a missile defense system in Greenland, but that will not protect Denmark. “They did it because they are good allies. The Danes are probably one of our best allies,” he said.
Contributor: Francesca Chambers
