‘Enough is enough’: Greenland hits back after Trump reaches out to NATO over island plan

Washington: US President Donald Trump has told NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that American control of Greenland is necessary to enhance international security, escalating his campaign to annex the strategic Arctic island.

“You know, Mark, we need that for international security, not just security – international – we have a lot of our favourite players cruising around the coast, and we have to be careful,” Trump told Rutte as they sat side-by-side in the White House Oval Office for talks. “We’ll be talking to you.”

President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte meet in the Oval Office.Credit: AP

Asked directly about the prospect of annexation, Trump said: “I think that will happen.”

Trump has made annexation of Greenland a major talking point since he took office on January 20. His latest comments suggested he might want NATO involved in his attempt to take over the island, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.

The comments drew a swift rejection from the outgoing prime minister of Greenland.

“The US president has once again aired the thought of annexing us,” Mute Egede said in a Facebook post. “Enough is enough.”

Children play ice hockey on a pond in Nuuk, Greenland.Credit: AP

NATO and Denmark’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Opinion polls suggest that most Greenlanders oppose joining the United States, though a majority favour eventual independence from Denmark.

Greenland’s pro-business opposition Demokraatit party, which wants a slow approach to independence from Denmark, won Tuesday’s parliamentary election. On Thursday, Trump said the election was good for the US.

Even before starting his second term as president, Trump had said he hoped to make Greenland a part of the US, although NATO ally Denmark says it is not for sale.

Greenland’s strategic location and rich mineral resources could benefit the US. It lies along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for the US ballistic missile warning system.

Rutte told Trump he would leave the question of Greenland’s future to others and “I don’t want to drag NATO” into the debate.

He said it should be a topic for countries in the “high north” because China and Russia were using water routes in the area.

Trump persisted, saying Denmark was refusing to discuss the topic and that he might send more US troops to bolster the American bases on Greenland.

A boy throws ice into the sea in Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday.Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka

“We’ve been dealing with Denmark, we’ve been dealing with Greenland, and we have to do it,” Trump said. “We really need it for national security. I think that’s why NATO might have to get involved, in a way, because we really need Greenland for national security. It’s very important.”

Trump also sought to undermine Denmark’s claim to the island.

“You know, Denmark’s very far away and really has nothing to do. What happens, a boat landed there 200 years ago or something? And they say they have rights to it. I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t think it is,” he said.

Trump has also annoyed Canadians with his proposal that the country become the 51st state of the US, and has demanded the US exert more influence over the Panama Canal.

Reuters

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