US President Donald Trump said the United States will “to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland.”
Speaking after a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Friday, Trump doubled down on his Greenland ambitions, saying, “We’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor.”
“I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if not, we are going to do it the hard way… When we own it, we defend it…,” Trump said.
“Look at what happened with the horrible deal Obama made with Iran, which was a short-term deal… Countries need to have ownership… We have to defend Greenland, because if we don’t, China or Russia will…,” Trump said.
Why it’s important to ‘own’ Greenland
When asked why it was important to “own” Greenland, when the US has a military presence that it could expand, Trump said that one defends ownership and not leases.
“When we own it, we defend it. You don’t defend leases the same way. You have to own it. Countries have to have ownership and you defend ownership. You don’t defend leases. If we don’t do it, China or Russia will,” Trump was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
“That’s not going to happen… NATO has to understand that. I’m all for NATO. I saved it. If it weren’t for me, NATO would not be there,” he added.
Premier of Greenland says ‘we do not wish to be Americans’
In a statement on Friday, Premier of Greenland Jens-Frederik Nielsen reportedly said, “As leaders of Greenland’s political parties, we once again wish to underline our firm position that the United States’ disregard for our country must come to an end.”
“We do not wish to be Americans. We do not wish to be Danes. We wish to be Greenlanders,” he said, as per a statement shared on social media.
He said the future of Greenland must be decided by the Greenlandic people. “Work concerning Greenland’s future is conducted in dialogue with the population and prepared on the basis of international law and the Self-Government Act,” he added.
“No other country has the right to interfere in this process. We will decide our country’s future ourselves—without pressure to make hasty decisions, without delays imposed from outside, and without external interference,” the premier said.
