Trump Renews Calls to Acquire Greenland

(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his demand that the United States acquire Greenland from Denmark, declaring the island would be obtained "one way or the other."

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump dismissed the idea of leasing or temporary arrangements. "We're talking about acquiring, not leasing, not having it short term, we're talking about acquiring," he said, arguing that military bases alone were not sufficient.

"I'd love to make a deal with them. It's easier, but one way or the other, we're going to have Greenland," Trump asserted.

Pressed on whether the push could strain NATO ties, Trump responded: "If it affects NATO and it affects NATO, but you know, they need us much more than we need them." He added, "I'm the one that saved NATO," while questioning allied commitment. "I just wonder whether or not, if we needed NATO, would they be there for us? I'm not sure they would," he said.

Trump also repeated unsubstantiated claims that Russian and Chinese warships and submarines were "all over the place" near Greenland, framing the alleged threat as a national security rationale. "If we don't do it, Russia or China will," he claimed, without evidence.

His assertions were contradicted by senior Nordic officials. Media quoted one diplomat with NATO intelligence access as saying, "I have seen the intelligence. There are no ships, no submarines." The paper reported that two diplomats confirmed no Russian or Chinese naval presence around Greenland in recent years. Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told NRK there was "very little" activity from either country, according to media.

At a security conference, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Stockholm was "highly critical" of Washington’s approach. "We are probably even more critical of the rhetoric that is being expressed against Greenland and Denmark," he said, warning that the rules-based order faces its greatest strain in decades.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a stark warning, calling the situation "a fateful moment." "We are at a crossroads, and this is a fateful moment," she told a rally. "What is at stake is bigger than what the eye can see, because if what we experience from the Americans is that they are actually turning their backs on the Western alliance, that they are turning their backs on our NATO cooperation by threatening an ally, which we have not experienced before, then everything will stop."

Foreign ministers Lars Lokke Rasmussen of Denmark and Vivian Motzfeldt of Greenland are scheduled to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week.

The White House on Tuesday said "utilizing the U.S. military" remains an option. Rubio reportedly assured lawmakers that Trump’s remarks did not signal imminent military action, emphasizing instead that Washington’s objective is to purchase the island from Denmark.

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