Danish leaders have sent private messages to President-elect Donald Trump’s team in recent days in a bid to pacify his ambitions for taking over Greenland, according to a new report.
Copenhagen is allegedly open to allowing US military presence on the autonomous island to boost security and appease Trump, who claimed “military coercion” could be deployed to bring Greenland under US rule, sources familiar with the talks told Axios.
The Danish government, which is responsible for Greenland’s defense, wants to avoid clashing with the US and hopes to assure Trump that Greenland will be safe from Russia and China without the need for American annexation, the sources added.
Copenhagen has also asked Trump’s team to clarify the incoming president’s comments after he shocked the world by suggesting that the US could invade the longstanding NATO ally.
One European diplomat told Axios that Denmark was widely seen as America’s closest ally in the European Union, and that no one could have imagined it’d be the first Trump would pick a fight with.
Greenland had been a colony of Denmark since the 18th century and became a self-governing Danish territory in 1953.
In 2009, the island won the right to secure independence if they ever voted to do so — something that Greenland’s prime minister, Múte Egede supports.
Egede, however, does not support the annexation of Greenland into the US.
At a press conference Friday in Denmark, Egede said he was open to discuss Greenland’s future with Trump, but warned that his people had no interest in becoming Americans.
“We are ready to talk,” he said. “Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work towards solutions.”
The US already has a military base on Greenland and has had a defense agreement in place since 1951, which would make it easy to increase American troops on the island.
Greenland’s strategic importance has increased exponentially in recent years with ice-bound arctic waterways melting and world powers scrambling for new real estate between the United States and Russia.
The territory and its surrounding waters are rich in critical minerals and natural resources.
1 comment:
If you're going to pick a bunch of fights, you start with your best friend so that your enemies see that if you're even going to go after them, they're in that much more trouble.
Denmark isn't just responsible for Greenland. Until the 35 people living there decide otherwise, Greenland is part of Denmark. Invading would be an act of war.
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