Donald Trump just made the NATO summit very uncomfortable with his latest Greenland demands. The U.S. president reignited his push to acquire the Arctic territory while threatening to reshape America’s military presence in Europe.
Donald Trump talks about Greenland during NATO summit
President Donald Trump renewed his push to acquire Greenland during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, CNBC reported. He stated the island territory “should be controlled by the United States” and suggested pulling American troops from Europe. Trump directed his frustration at European allies who oppose his expansionist stance on the Arctic territory.
Trump blamed the Greenland dispute for damaging his relationship with NATO during a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He argued Denmark fails to adequately support Greenland financially despite controlling the territory. “Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the United States,” Trump told reporters.
The president also repeated claims about Chinese and Russian ships near the self-governing island. Experts on Greenland have previously denied these foreign military threat assertions. Trump warned that the U.S. “could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe” over the ongoing disagreement.
He further cautioned European nations about immigration and energy policies. “If they’re not careful with those two things, you’re not going to have a Europe anymore,” Trump stated. He then ended the press-accessible portion of the meeting with Erdogan.
The Greenland issue first dominated headlines in January when Trump refused to rule out military force for annexation. He later announced a “framework of a future deal” with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. A working group of U.S., Danish and Greenlandic representatives has since been meeting regularly.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen reportedly expects the working group to reach a solution by year’s end. Finnish President Alexander Stubb responded to Trump’s comments by urging a calm approach. Stubb noted Finland has “trained 1 million soldiers in Arctic conditions” and encouraged all parties to continue diplomatic discussions. Greenlandic lawmakers maintain the island is not for sale.
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on Mandatory.com.
