U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes the United States will take control of Greenland, after recently showing renewed interest and eyeing the autonomous Danish territory.
“I think we will have it,” he told reporters, adding that the island’s 57,000 inhabitants “want to be with us.”
His comments come after reports that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen insisted Greenland is not for sale in a heated phone conversation with the U.S. president last week.
Trump raised the prospects of purchasing the vast Arctic territory during his first term in 2019, stating that U.S. control over Greenland is “an absolute necessity” for international security.
“I think people want to be with us. I don’t know why Denmark has the right to it, but it would be very hostile if they don’t allow it to happen, because it’s for the purpose of protecting the free world. I think we will get Greenland because it’s about the freedom of the world. It has nothing to do with the U.S. except that we are the ones who can ensure freedom. They cannot,” Trump responded.
The Prime Ministers of Greenland and Denmark previously stated that the island is not for sale. Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede said the use of the territory is “Greenland’s business,” though he expressed readiness to cooperate more closely with the U.S. in the areas of defense and mining.
Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen earlier this month stated that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and that only the local population can determine its future.
Frederiksen reaffirmed her position in a 45-minute phone conversation with Trump last week, according to a report by The Financial Times.
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The paper quoted an anonymous European official as saying the conversation was “horrible,” while another described Trump’s interest in purchasing Greenland as “serious and potentially very dangerous.”
The Danish Prime Minister reportedly insisted the island is not for sale but noted the “great interest” the U.S. has in it.
Greenland lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategically important for the U.S.
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Izvor: Kurir, Foto: EPA Emil Stach