President Donald Trump on Tuesday once again pressed the idea that the United States should take control of Greenland, using remarks at the NATO summit in Turkey to revive a dispute that has unsettled trans-Atlantic relations this year.
Speaking after arriving in Ankara and later during a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump said Greenland should be under U.S. control rather than Danish control. He argued that Denmark does not do enough to support the island and repeated claims that foreign ships from China and Russia pose a threat there, assertions that Greenland experts have rejected.
Trump also suggested the disagreement could affect the U.S. military footprint in Europe. He said Washington could withdraw all of its troops from the continent and warned that Europe should be cautious about immigration and energy policy. His comments came as Greenland remained a sensitive issue within NATO, which includes Denmark.
The U.S. president’s interest in acquiring Greenland emerged as a major issue earlier in the year, with Greenlandic lawmakers saying the island is not for sale. Trump later said he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had established a framework for a possible future deal. Since then, representatives from the United States, Denmark and Greenland have been meeting in a working group to discuss next steps. Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb, responded to the latest comments by urging a focus on Arctic security and continued talks among the three parties.
Source: cnbc.com
