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WASHINGTON, Jan 05 (APP):US President Donald Trump has renewed his push to acquire Greenland, citing national security needs, a move that has been met with protests from Denmark and Greenland’s leaders.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, President Trump said Greenland is “so strategic” and claimed that it is currently surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.
His comments came a day after the U.S. military captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a in US military operation and brought him to New York to stand a trial on drug-trafficking and narco-terrorism charges.
“We need Greenland, from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” Trump said when asked about any potential US action against Greenland.
Trump also argued that US control over Greenland would serve broader Western interests, adding the European Union “needs us to have it” from a security standpoint.
Mineral-rich Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, which is part of NATO. It has a population of about 57,000. Denmark has previously rejected proposals suggesting any transfer of sovereignty.
On Sunday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on the United States to stop “threatening” its historical ally and described the idea as “absolutely absurd”.
In her statement, posted on the Danish government website, Ms. Frederiksen said she was addressing the US “very directly”.
She said Denmark – “and thus Greenland” – was a Nato member and covered by the alliance’s security guarantee. Denmark already had a defence agreement with the US that gave it access to Greenland, she said, and Denmark had upped its investment in security in the Arctic region.
“I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale,” she said.