In a controversial post on X, the president-elect of the US, Donald Trump, showed his desire to purchase Greenland, the largest island in the world. He wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Sunday, “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.”
It was the second time he exhibited his desire to have Greenland. Previously, in 2019, he had suggested that the United States should have Greenland. However Trump is not the first US president to suggest such an act. The idea was first floated during the 1860s under the presidency of Andrew Johnson.
Greenland, the largest Island in the world, is an autonomous Danish territory. However, it is home to a large US space facility and also lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe. The geo-strategic positioning of the island makes it strategically important for the US. In response, the Greenland PM, Mute Egede said, “Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland,” a day after Trump repeated comments about the Arctic island that he first made five years back.
Egede further added, We are not for sale, and we will not be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom. However, we must continue to be open to cooperation and trade with the whole world, especially with our neighbours.”
The response from Denmark came in the form of boosting the defence budget for Greenland. The Danish government has announced a huge uptake in defence spending for Greenland, hours after US President-elect Donald Trump repeated his desire to purchase the Arctic territory.
Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the defence package is a “double digit billion amount” in krone, or at least $1.5bn (£1.2bn). The defence minister did not specify an exact number for the defence budget, but Danish media estimated it would be around 12-15bn krone, according to a report by the BBC.
The defence budget would be used to purchase two new inspection ships, two new long-range drones and two extra dog sled teams. It would also include funding for increased staffing at Arctic Command in the capital, Nuuk, and an upgrade for one of Greenland’s three main civilian airports to handle F-35 supersonic fighter aircraft.
In a statement, he added, “We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years; now, we are planning a stronger presence.”
In the previous weeks, Donald Trump had suggested in a series of social media posts that acquiring the Panama Canal and making Canada the 51st state of the US is in focus. He also mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor” and again suggested the country could be turned into a US state.
Trump wrote in a social media post, “If Canada was to become our 51st state, their taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other country anywhere in the world.”
Trump has also threatened to take control of the Panama Canal, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the crucial trade passage and warning of potential Chinese influence. How much of these talks are in jest or they are indications of future actions to be taken by Trump remains to be seen.