President Donald Trump told NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Thursday that the control of the USA is necessary to enhance international security, escalating his campaign to annex the strategic Arctic island.
“You know, Mark, we need that for international security, not just security—international—we have a lot of our favourite players cruising around the coast, and we have to be careful,” Trump told Rutte as they sat side-by-side in the White House Oval Office for talks. “We’ll be talking to you.”
On being asked about the prospect of annexation, Trump said, “I think that will happen.”
The US president has made the annexation of Greenland a major talking point since he took office on January 20. His comments on Thursday suggested he might want NATO involved in his attempt to take over the island, a semi-autonomous Danish territory. The comments by Trump drew a swift rejection from the outgoing prime minister of Greenland.
“The U.S. president has once again aired the thought of annexing us,” Mute Egede said in a Facebook post. “Enough is enough.”
According to news agency Reuters, opinion polls suggest that most Greenlanders oppose joining the U.S., although a majority favour eventual independence from Denmark.
Greenland’s strategic location and rich mineral resources could benefit the U.S. It lies along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for the U.S. ballistic missile warning system.
Rutte also said to Trump that he would leave the question of Greenland’s future to others and that, “I don’t want to drag NATO” into the debate. He said it should be a topic for countries in the “high north” because the Chinese and Russians are using water routes in the area.
