U.S. President Donald Trump is discussing various options, including military action, to establish control over Greenland, White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said, according to LETA citing AFP.
Trump has repeatedly stated that the U.S. should control Greenland for national security reasons, and reiterated this position over the past weekend.
Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but has wide autonomy and is not part of the European Union.
Levitt stated that "acquiring Greenland is a priority for Trump’s national security" to deter adversaries of the U.S. such as Russia and China.
"The president and his team are discussing various ways to achieve this important foreign policy goal, and of course, the use of U.S. Armed Forces always remains one of the options available to the Commander-in-Chief," Levitt said in a comment to AFP.
The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that Trump prefers to buy Greenland from Denmark.
Copenhagen warned that any attempt to acquire Greenland by force would effectively mean the end of NATO.
Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt indicated on social media that her team attempted to arrange a meeting with Rubio last year, but to no avail.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated that a meeting with Rubio could "clarify some misunderstandings," while Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen emphasized that Greenland is not for sale.
Allies expressed support for Denmark and Greenland, while trying not to irritate the United States.
Leave a comment