After Donald Trump demanded the return of the Panama Canal under the US’s control, the President-elect has now said that he wanted to buy and control Greenland, asserting it was an “absolute necessity”. Greenland is a part of the North American continent but is controlled by Denmark.
“For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. While Greenland has autonomous self-rule, it is still a part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
The 78-year-old Republican leader made the statement while announcing PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as the US’s Ambassador to Denmark.
Trump’s renewed interest in Greenland is not new as the President-elect had made his desire known to control the territory during his first term from 2017 to 2021.
In 2019, Trump indicated that he wanted to purchase Greenland as he was mostly drawn to the country’s natural resources and geopolitical relevance. His desire, however, drew severe backlash from leaders in Denmark, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen saying that “Greenland was not for sale”.
“Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Danish. Greenland belongs to Greenland. I strongly hope that this is not meant seriously,” Frederiksen said in 2019 during a visit to the island.
In response, Trump cancelled a meeting with Frederiksen in Denmark over her remarks on the proposed Greenland deal.
The US has its own space force base, Pituffik Space Base (earlier known as Thule Air Base), on the northwest coast of Greenland.
Greenland lies in the North Atlantic Ocean and is the world’s largest island that is not a continent. Given its strategic location, it is close to the Arctic and some countries, including Russia, are vying for control of the territory.
Although Greenland is a part of the North American continent, geopolitically, it has ties to Europe. It has received EU funding since it is classified as an overseas territory associated with the bloc via Denmark, Axios reported.
TRUMP’S REMARKS ON PANAMA CANAL
Trump’s remarks on Greenland came after he threatened Panama to return control of the Panama Canal to the US if Latin American country continued to charge what he described as “ridiculous” passage fees for American vessels.
Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino sharply rebuked Trump, saying his country’s independence was non-negotiable and defended the passage rates Panama charged, asserting they were not set “on a whim”, Reuters reported.
The US completed the construction of the canal in 1914 and managed it until December 31, 1999. On that date, control of the canal was officially handed over to Panama, a sovereign country, based on treaties signed in 1997. The US is the largest user of the canal.
