Trump insists ‘we need Greenland’ despite Danish warnings

AFP/APP

Copenhagen: President Donald Trump on Sunday doubled down on his claim that Greenland should become part of the United States, brushing aside calls by Denmark’s prime minister to stop “threatening” the semi-autonomous territory.

Washington’s recent military intervention in Venezuela has renewed fears in Europe over Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex because of its strategic Arctic location.

Speaking aboard Air Force One while travelling to Washington, Trump reiterated his position.

“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said.

Over the weekend, Katie Miller, the wife of one of Trump’s most influential aides, posted an image of Greenland’s flag recoloured in the red, white and blue of the US flag, captioned “SOON.”

Denmark and the European Union reacted angrily to the renewed push.

“I have to say this very clearly to the United States: it is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday.

She urged Washington to stop “threatening its historical ally.”

European leaders have been further unsettled by Trump’s decision to deploy the US military to Caracas and detain Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is now being held in New York.

Trump has said the United States will “run” Venezuela indefinitely and exploit its vast oil reserves. He has argued that Greenland — rich in critical minerals essential for the technology sector — is similarly vital to US national security.

Asked in a telephone interview with The Atlantic about whether the Venezuela operation had implications for Greenland, Trump said it was for others to judge.

“They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know,” he was quoted as saying.

“But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.”

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen condemned Katie Miller’s post as “disrespectful.”

“Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law — not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights,” he wrote on X.

However, he sought to calm tensions, saying there was “neither reason for panic nor for concern.”

“Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts,” he said.

Allies?

Stephen Miller is widely regarded as the architect of much of Trump’s agenda, shaping the president’s hardline immigration and domestic policies.

Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, issued a pointed but measured response, offering a “friendly reminder” that Denmark — a NATO member — has “significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts” in close cooperation with Washington.

“We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” he wrote.

Katie Miller previously served as deputy press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security during Trump’s first term. She later worked as communications director and press secretary to former vice president Mike Pence.