US President elect Donald Trump’s call to acquire Greenland has prompted the Danish government to announce a huge boost in defence spending for the Artic territory, according to news outlet BBC.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Mute Egede, firmly responded to former US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks by saying, “We are not for sale.” Danish defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen also addressed the situation, describing the timing of the remarks as an “irony of fate.”
Poulsen revealed that a substantial defence investment, amounting to a “double-digit billion” figure, is being planned for Greenland.
The defence package includes funding for two new inspection ships, two long-range drones, and two additional dog sled teams. It also aims to enhance staffing at Arctic Command in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, and upgrade one of the island’s three primary civilian airports to accommodate F-35 supersonic fighter jets.
Poulsen acknowledged past shortcomings, saying, “We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years; now we are planning a stronger presence.”
Trump’s comments, made on his social media platform Truth Social, touched on Greenland’s strategic value to the United States, declaring that “ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for global security and freedom. This isn’t however the first time Trump has expressed interest in purchasing Greenland—he proposed a similar idea during his first term, which was promptly rejected by Danish and Greenland officials.
The notion of US interest in acquiring Greenland dates back to the 1860s under President Andrew Johnson. Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, holds significant strategic importance, housing a large US space facility and sitting along the shortest route between North America and Europe. The island is also rich in mineral resources.