Trump slams lacklustre Greenland defence as Denmark fails to ‘change’ president’s mind
US President Donald Trump has slammed Denmark’s defensive capability as he doubles down on his bid to take control of Greenland.
“Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark. And the problem is there’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland. But there’s everything we can do,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
It comes as Denmark vowed on Wednesday to expand its military presence in Greenland.
“Now we are going to have a larger military footprint, and we are doing so because we believe it is the right thing to do,” Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.
“Also, in relation to the need to have a greater degree of presence together with other NATO allies.
“This is also something that we have discussed continuously in NATO over the past two years, where I myself have strongly argued that NATO needs to take a greater interest in security, to become a part of the NATO framework.”
The remarks came after high-stakes meetings between US, Danish, and Greenlandic officials.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said fundamental differences over Greenland remained.
“We didn’t manage to change the American position,” Rasmussen said.
