As The New York Times writes, President Trump's long-standing goal to reclaim Greenland for America has moved from rhetoric to official US policy: The White House has begun implementing an official plan to acquire the Arctic island from Denmark.
«We need Greenland for national and even international security, and we are working with all interested parties to try to get it», Trump said in his address to Congress last month, adding that «one way or another, we will get it».
One of the publication's sources reported that despite Trump's hints at possible use of force, military options were never seriously considered during discussions led by the Security Council, with the focus on persuasion rather than coercion.
Meanwhile, in the elections held in Greenland last month, an opposition political party advocating for faster independence and closer ties with the United States took second place, garnering only a quarter of the votes.
Trump's advisors have already begun publicly accusing Denmark of insufficiently protecting Greenland's security, stating that only the United States can protect it from encroachments by Russia and China, and claiming that America will help Greenlanders «get rich».
The Trump administration is also exploring financial incentives for Greenland residents, including the possibility of replacing the $600 million subsidies Denmark provides to the island with annual payments of about $10,000 per Greenland resident. Some officials believe these costs could be offset by new revenues from Greenland's natural resource extraction, including rare earth minerals, copper, gold, uranium, and oil.
Trump spoke of interest in Greenland during his first term, when the idea was considered a wild fantasy. Greenlandic officials refused, and the discussion ended there. However, Trump began his second term with this idea again. «President Trump considers Greenland a strategically important place and is confident that Greenlanders will be better protected by the United States from modern threats in the Arctic region», said National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes.
Trump is not the first American president to show interest in Greenland. The Truman administration, concerned about Nazi threats to the island during World War II, offered Denmark a sum equivalent to $1 billion for it in 1946.
However, Trump's threats to control Greenland «one way or another» sound to many in the world like imperialism, along with talks of reclaiming the Panama Canal and even annexing Canada. If the administration's persuasion efforts do not succeed, it is quite possible that Trump will move to a tougher tactic.
Danish leaders, in turn, are shocked and enraged by Trump's talks of buying or seizing the island, insisting that Greenlanders should freely determine their own destiny. During a visit to Greenland last week, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen condemned the «pressure and threats» from the Trump administration, stating that «you cannot annex another country».
Denmark has controlled Greenland in one form or another for many centuries, and in 1953 it incorporated it into its kingdom. Today, Greenland manages its own internal affairs, with its budget being 60% subsidized by Denmark. Many Greenland leaders support the idea of independence but differ on how soon this should happen and whether to move closer to the United States.
Photo: AP