President Trump reaffirmed that the United States needed to control the Greenland, just before the Vice President Vice President’s visit to the Autonomous Island of Denmark.
“We need Greenland for international security and safety. We need the island and must have it. I hate to say that but we will have to own it,” US President Donald Trump told the Podcast Vince Coglianese host on March 26.
Mr. Trump’s comment made one day after US Vice President JD Vance said that he would join the second lady U Usha Vance to go to the Pituffik space base in Greenland, the world’s largest island in Denmark, located near North America, between the Atlantic and the Northern Ocean.
US President Donald Trump at the event in Washington in February. Photo: Reuters
The White House initially announced the Second Lady Usha Vance, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and the US delegation will come to Greenland on March 27-29 to visit the historic monument, learn about the island’s heritage and watch the sled slyer race by the Avannata Qimussersu.
However, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Mute Egyee fiercely criticized the plan to visit the island of Usha and Mr. Waltz. Mr. Egede considered this visit to “foreign intervention efforts”, note that the island’s upcoming government did not send any invitation whether private or officially to the American delegation.
“We ask all countries to respect this process,” Mr. EgyeTe posted on Facebook.
Frederiksen condemned the visit as “an unacceptable form of pressure” for Greenland and Denmark, emphasizing that it will “protest”.
After a reaction from Danish and Greenland officials, Vice President Vance in the announcement on March 25 said he and his wife would only visit the Pituffik base and “check the security situation” in Greenland.
“I think the Americans cancel the visit to the Greenland community is a positive move. They will only go to the Pituffik base and we don’t object to it,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on March 26.
The location of Greenland Island compared to the US and Denmark. Graphic: DW
Greenland, the island with a population of 57,000 people and an area of about 2.16 million km2, located on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it an important strategic place for Washington. Greenland also has abundant mineral sources, most of them have not been exploited.
Since his election at the end of last year, President Trump repeatedly emphasized that he wanted the US to buy the Greenland Island from Denmark, not excluding the ability to use force to achieve the goal. However, both Greenland and Denmark people affirm that the island is “not for sale”.