US President Donald Trump, on Thursday (Mar 13), once again emphasised his desire to annex Greenland, the autonomous territory of Denmark, citing “international security” as the primary reason.
“I think it will happen,” Trump told reporters at the White House alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, when asked about his vision for the annexation.
He pointed towards Rutte and noted that the NATO chief could play a crucial role in the move, potentially being “very instrumental” in its success.
“You know Mark, we need that for international security… we have a lot of our favorite players cruising around the coast and we have to be careful,” he said, apparently referring to rising Chinese and Russian interest in the Arctic region.
Trump’s threats to take over Greenland have put the resource-rich Arctic island in the global spotlight. He’s refused to rule out using force to “get Greenland,” sparking concerns about the island’s future.
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The US President’s remarks come a day after Greenland’s elections, where all political parties and the majority of the island’s 57,000 inhabitants expressed support for independence.
Though they had different views on how quickly the process should go.
Rutte said that he would not be involved in any question on Greenland becoming part of the United States.
“I don’t want to drag NATO in that,” Rutte said.
However, “when it comes to the high north and the Arctic, you are totally right,” he said.
“The Chinese are now using these routes. We know that the Russians are rearming. We know we have lack of icebreakers.”
“So the fact that the seven — outside Russia — seven Arctic countries working together on this under US leadership is very important to make sure that that region, that part of the world stays safe,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)