US President Donald Trump has once again raised the issue of US control over Greenland, warning that if Washington does not take action, Russia or China could move to take over the strategically located island. Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in the Danish autonomous territory, and his administration has continued to consider various options, including the possibility of purchasing Greenland.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump said he was not yet discussing financial terms related to Greenland but did not rule out the topic in the future. “I’m not talking about money for Greenland yet. I might talk about that,” he said. Trump stressed that the presence of Russian and Chinese naval vessels near Greenland was a concern and said the United States would take steps to address the situation. The US president warned that failure to act could result in Greenland falling under Russian or Chinese influence. He said the United States does not want either country becoming a neighboring power in Greenland. While Trump stated that he personally likes both China and Russia, he emphasized that he does not want either nation establishing a presence close to US interests in the Arctic region.
Concerns over Arctic security were also discussed at the diplomatic level. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call on Friday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, during which they discussed the importance of Arctic security for all NATO allies, according to the US State Department. NATO officials have said that the alliance held a meeting at the ambassador level on Thursday to consider strengthening surveillance activities in the Arctic. Observers say NATO appears to be focused on maintaining the current situation in Greenland by signaling its readiness to deter increased activity by Russia and China in the region.
In Greenland, political leaders have reacted strongly to the renewed discussion over the island’s future. Ruling and opposition parties in Greenland’s parliament released a joint statement on Friday asserting that Greenland’s future must be determined by its own people (The Greenlanders). The statement said that Greenlanders do not want to become Americans or Danes but instead want to remain Greenlanders.
Trump reiterated on Friday that the United States may need to act to prevent Russia or China from gaining control of Greenland. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rubio has said he plans to hold talks with Danish officials next week.