Concerns as Incoming US Leader Donald Trump Threatens to Use Military Force to Take Over Greenland
- United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump has said he wants to make Greenland a part of America
- Trump said he will not rule out using military or economic power to get Denmark to hand over the mineral-rich and strategically important island
- Legit.ng reports that Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953 when it was redefined as a district of Denmark
Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering global issues.
Greenland, Denmark - Hours after his son Donald Trump Jr touched down in the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, on Tuesday, January 7, in a Trump-branded plane, the US president-elect, Donald Trump, held a press conference in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
At the press conference, Trump refused to rule out using military force to make Greenland part of the United States (US) and threatened to impose “very high” tariffs on Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory, if it gets in his way.
Source: Getty Images
The 78-year-old maintained that he wants to make Greenland a part of the United States, Al Jazeera noted.
Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump replied:
"No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this, we need them for economic security."
In a past report by The Wall Street Journal, the media platform said Trump made his name on the world’s most famous island and that he yearns to acquire the world's biggest. The idea of the US purchasing Greenland has captured the former real-estate developer’s imagination, according to people familiar with the discussion. The sources said Trump has—with varying degrees of seriousness—repeatedly expressed interest in buying the ice-covered autonomous territory.
Where is Greenland located?
As Greenland is one of the overseas countries and territories of the European Union (EU), citizens there are EU citizens. The capital and largest city of Greenland is Nuuk. Greenland lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
The island's government led by prime minister (PM) Mute Egede aims for eventual independence.
BBC quoted Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen as saying:
"We fully recognise that Greenland has its own ambitions. If they materialise, Greenland will become independent, though hardly with an ambition to become a federal state in the United States."
Although Denmark itself played down the seriousness of Trump's threat to its territory, the returning president's openly stated ambition to expand US borders has jolted European allies less than two weeks before he takes office.
Greenland: Germany and France warn Trump
Meanwhile, France and Germany have warned Trump against threatening Greenland.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said "the principle of the inviolability of borders applies to every country, no matter whether it is a very small one or a very powerful one".
In the same vein, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said:
"There is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders".
Trump would be sworn in for his second term as US president on Monday, January 20, 2025.
US embassy in Nigeria to be closed January 9
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the US Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos state will be closed on Thursday, January 9, 2025.
According to a statement by the US Mission to Nigeria, the temporary closure is to honour former US President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100.
PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!
Source: Legit.ng
