Featured Image Credit: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Greenland, News, World News, US News
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: Donald Trump, Greenland, News, World News, US News
Donald Trump has made it no secret he wants Greenland to become a part of the US, but has sparked fears with his latest comments about how that could happen.
Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has insisted that his goals are focused on America and the country’s interests.
As such, he has repeatedly argued that Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, should become a part of the US.
Both Greenland and Denmark governments have made it pretty clear that they are not interested in this becoming a reality however...
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Despite this, Trump remains confident it will eventually happen and has explained why the region is so important to the US.
Speaking in late March, Trump said: “We need Greenland.
“Very importantly, for international security, we have to have Greenland. It's not a question of, 'Do you think we can do without it?' We can't.
“If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we're not going to be able to do that. We're not relying on Denmark or anybody else to take care of that situation."
As well as Greenland, Trump and his administration have also spoken about the importance of acquiring its northern neighbor Canada, despite them also being uninterested in becoming part of the US.
Speaking to NBC over the weekend, Trump clarified he doesn’t believe military action will be needed to make Canada become the ‘51st state’, however when it came to Greenland, he shockingly said ‘I don’t rule it out’.
Trump continued: “I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything.
“We need Greenland very badly. Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of, and we’ll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security.”
This has sparked fears that world conflict could erupt and it could spell the end of NATO as both Denmark and the US are members.
If Trump would attack the land, NATO’s Article 5 protocol comes into play: that an armed attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all members.
Regarding the persistence of America to acquire Greenland, the country has pushed back and insisted they will decide their own future.
Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen in March said: “President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future.”