The defiant Prime Minister of Greenland has today bit back at Donald Trump’s assertions America will take control of the island territory.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who only became leader of Greenland on Friday, remained sturbborn today under growing pressure for his nation to cave into Mr Trump’s plans. The 33-year-old politician, formerly minister of industry and mineral resources, posted on Facebook: “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.”
But Greenland, a huge, resource-rich island in the Atlantic, is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States. Mr Trump wants to annex the territory, claiming on Saturday it is needed for national security purposes.
The US President had said: “We’re not talking about peace for the United States. We’re talking about world peace. We’re talking about international security.”
Like Mr Nielsen, Greenland’s residents and other politicians have reacted with anger to Mr Trump’s repeated suggestions, with Danish leaders also pushing back. Yet, the determined Republican has even suggested the US will use military force to acquire the island territory, home to approximately just 56,000 people.
Vice President JD Vance visit to Greenland last week was scaled back from original plans. Yet, as soon as he got off the plane, the politician complained he was as “cold as s***” there. His comment sparked ridicule online, with critics questioning how the vice president could be surprised by freezing temperatures in the Arctic. One social media user said: “It’s literally Greenland. Did he think he was going to Miami?”
Others pointed out that a senior government official, particularly one engaged in discussions about Arctic security, should have at least a basic awareness of the region’s climate.
In recent weeks, thousands of people in Greenland and Denmark have participated in demonstrations against the US, with some holding placards reading “Respect international agreements” and “Yankee go home.”
And many Americans have even voiced their disdain for Mr Trump’s demands. Scholars at the Cato Institute have said acquiring Greenland would not be in the States’ interest.
Doug Bandow, a senior fellow, expressed scepticism. He said: “Making America Great Again would be better achieved by shrinking rather than expanding the nation’s borders.
“The US already is too large for genuine republican government. And the ability to meddle overseas has led America into an increasing number of reckless military interventions, such as in Iraq.”
Speaking at a policy forum in the Arctic port of Murmansk, Mr Putin noted the US first considered plans to win control over Greenland in the 19th century, and then offered to buy it from Denmark after World War Two.
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