President Donald Trump discussed the strategic importance of Greenland for the United States, emphasizing its national security significance. He stated his willingness to potentially deploy American troops to the island to secure its resources and further strengthen their military presence there.
‘I think it’ll happen,’ the president said of annexing the island during his Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
‘We really needed for national security. I think that is why NATO might have to get involved anyway,’ he added.
Trump then noted the U.S. already has a military base on Greenland.
Referring to existing U.S. military installations on Greenland, Trump highlighted the presence of bases and soldiers currently stationed on the island. He also hinted at a possible increase in the number of troops deployed to reinforce the U.S. military’s position on Greenland.
During the conversation, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, present in the Oval Office, expressed agreement with Trump’s sentiments. The U.S. currently operates the Pituffik Space Base on Greenland, which plays a crucial role in supporting missile warning and space surveillance operations.
President Donald Trump wit NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office
Trump added he’d talk to Rutte about it.
But the NATO secretary declined to get involved.
‘When it comes to Greenland, yes or no joining the U.S., I would leave that outside, for me, this discussion, because I don’t want to direct NATO in that,’ Rutte said.
It’s not the first time Trump mulled using military force to take control of territory he wants to add to the American map.
In early January, after he was elected but before inauguration, Trump indicated he was willing to use force on both Greenland and Panama, where he wants control of the canal.
Greenlanders, however, voted to rebuff President Trump’s effort to bring their island into the United States.
Voters gave first place in Tuesday’s elections to Demokraatit, a center-right party that has never held power but is strongly opposed to an American takeover of the island, which is a Danish territory.
Democraatit’s leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the incoming prime minister, criticized Trump’s call for Greenland to become a U.S. territory.
‘We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our own independence in the future,’ Nielsen told Sky News.
‘And we want to build our own country by ourselves.’
The election in Greenland wasn’t just a rejection of Trump. Citizens of the island are also in favor of independence in general, including a split from Denmark.
Second place went to a political party who wants independence from Copenhagen within the next three years.
The Greenland flag flying Nuuk, the capital city
Colorful houses in Nuuk, Greenland
Trump is interested in the island’s strategic position in the North Atlantic and its wealth of minerals. It also is believed to have natural gas and oil off its shores.
There are already fears on Greenland that Trump could take the island by force.
‘I think most of us have been scared since the new year because of (Trump’s) interest,’ Pipaluk Lynge, a member of parliament from the ruling Inuit Ataqatigiit, or United Inuit party, told The Associated Press.
‘So we’re really, really looking to Europe right now to see if we could establish a stronger bond with them to secure our sovereign nation.’
Greenland is the world’s largest island and also one of the most sparsely populated. It is home to about 56,000 people.
It has been controlled by Denmark for almost 300 years. It became a formal territory in 1953 and gained home rule in 1979.
Copenhagen, however, still defends the island contributes about $1 billion to its economy.
Greenlanders also have Danish passports and healthcare. The island also benefits from Denmark’s memberships in NATO and the EU.
