Donald Trump has reinforced his interest in acquiring Greenland and has issued a new threat to those opposing the US’s efforts.
Trump and his administration have reiterated their ambition to annex Greenland, despite it being an ally of the US. Moreover, the US already has a military base on the island.
He claims his ‘very serious’ interest in acquiring Greenland is based on the belief that the country could not protect itself from potential Russian or Chinese aggression.
Trump previously commented to reporters: “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. You found that out last week with Venezuela.”
At a White House event on Friday (January 16), Trump hinted that he might impose tariffs on countries that do not support the US’s acquisition of Greenland.
He stated: “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that.”
Trump did not specify which countries might be affected, but since Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, many European nations—some of which are US allies—oppose the US’s interest.
In response, the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the Netherlands have all dispatched small military units to the resource-rich area as part of a ‘reconnaissance’ mission, reacting to Trump’s persistent threats.
Donald Tusk, former President of the European Council and current Prime Minister of Poland, has spoken against the US’s claims to Greenland.
At a press briefing, Tusk cautioned: “An attempt to take over (part of) a NATO member state by another NATO member state would be a political disaster.
“It would be the end of the world as we know it, which guaranteed a world based on NATO solidarity, which held back the evil forces associated with communist terror or other forms of aggression.”
In light of this, Greenland’s Deputy Prime Minister Múte Egede announced: “Soldiers of NATO are expected to be more present in Greenland from today and in the coming days. It is expected that there will be more military flights and ships.”
Denmark has also confirmed that it will start establishing a more permanent military presence on the island, aiming to deter Russia, China, and even its NATO ally, the United States.