President Donald Trump on Wednesday said anything short of US control over Greenland would be unacceptable, just hours before Vice President JD Vance was due to hold talks with Danish and Greenlandic officials in Washington.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump repeated his claim that the United States “needs Greenland for national security” and said NATO should help Washington secure the Arctic island. Otherwise, he warned, Russia or China could step in.
“NATO would become much stronger and more effective with Greenland under US control. Anything less than that is unacceptable,” Trump wrote.
Greenland has become the focus of growing geopolitical tension after Trump openly declared his desire to take control of the island, a move strongly rejected by its residents and leaders. The White House has not ruled out the use of force to take over the semi-autonomous territory, which is part of Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States.
Vice President Vance is scheduled to meet Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt to discuss the issue.
Ahead of the meeting, France’s foreign minister criticised what he described as US “blackmail” over Greenland, reflecting rising frustration among Washington’s allies.
In Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, international media crews have been questioning residents about the unfolding crisis. Tuuta Mikaelsen, a 22-year-old student, told the Associated Press she hoped US officials would “back off”.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in Copenhagen on Tuesday that if forced to choose, Greenland would stand with Denmark, NATO, the Danish kingdom and the European Union.
Asked about Nielsen’s remarks, Trump said he disagreed and warned the issue could become “a big problem” for the Greenlandic leader.
Greenland holds growing strategic importance as melting ice due to climate change could open shorter shipping routes to Asia and make it easier to access vast reserves of critical minerals used in electronics. Trump has also cited what he claims are threats from Russian and Chinese ships in the region as justification for seeking control of the island.
However, both experts and Greenlandic residents have questioned those claims.
