Trump Says Greenland ‘Essential’ for Security, Pushes Aggressive Annexation Drive

[Financial News New York = Correspondent Lee Byung-chul]President Donald Trump stressed that Greenland is essential to the national security of the United States of America (U.S.), declaring that “it is unacceptable if the U.S. does not control it.”
On the 14th (local time), President Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that “the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) must take the lead in paving the way for us to secure Greenland,” adding, “If we do not, Russia or China will take it, and that will never be allowed to happen.”
His remarks came just before senior officials from Greenland and Denmark were set to meet at The White House with United States Vice President of the United States JD Vance and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio. President Trump also said that securing Greenland is essential to his core defense initiative, the Golden Dome missile defense system. The Golden Dome missile defense system is a 175 billion dollar project under which he plans to complete a homeland defense shield within his term.
President Trump’s push to annex Greenland has inflamed leaders in Denmark and Greenland and is spilling over into internal conflict within NATO. Prime Minister of Greenland Jens-Frederik Nielsen said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen that “Greenland does not want to be under U.S. control, nor does it wish to become U.S. property,” adding, “The situation is very serious.” Prime Minister Frederiksen likewise stated, “It has not been easy to endure completely unacceptable pressure from one of our closest allies.”
On the same day, the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark were reported to have traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Vice President of the United States Vance and Secretary Rubio. However, as President Trump’s pressure escalates, concerns are mounting that the cohesion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance could be shaken.
Moves to put the brakes on the plan are also emerging in the United States Congress (US Congress). Lawmakers from both the Democratic Party of the United States and the Republican Party (GOP) criticized the attempt to secure Greenland as an unnecessary step that could undermine NATO unity and erode allied confidence in U.S. leadership. Jeanne Shaheen, the Democratic member serving as the ranking member on the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska introduced a bill to block U.S. forces from occupying the territory of NATO allies. Senator Murkowski said, “The very idea of the U.S. deploying vast resources against an ally is deeply troubling and something Congress must reject by law.”
Senators Murkowski and Shaheen are scheduled to visit Denmark later this week with Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, and Democrat Chris Coons of Delaware. Senior European officials are emphasizing that “even without annexing Greenland, the U.S. can still secure ample practical benefits, such as re-expanding military bases and cooperating on the extraction of critical minerals.” During the Cold War, U.S. forces operated 17 bases in Greenland, but most have since been closed, leaving only one remaining.



pride@fnnews.com Correspondent Lee Byung-chul Reporter