US President Donald Trump left open the possibility of imposing tariffs on countries that disagree with US demands for the annexation of Greenland. “I may impose tariffs on countries that don’t agree on the Greenland issue, because we need it for national security reasons,” Trump declared at a White House event.
Read: Politico: How Europeans would respond if Trump deploys military to Greenland
Earlier, the German Defense Ministry announced that the deployment of a reconnaissance team from European NATO countries to Greenland was ordered due to “Russian and Chinese threats” in the Arctic.
“Germany, in cooperation with other NATO partners, will send a reconnaissance team to Greenland. The goal is to assess the means to ensure security against Russian and Chinese threats in the Arctic,” the ministry stated.
In recent months, Trump has escalated his rhetoric regarding the annexation of the Arctic island. Despite a meeting between US, Danish, and Greenlandic officials on Wednesday at the White House, the American president appears to remain unmoved on the issue, citing Russian and Chinese threats.
Denmark: “American ambition to take control of Greenland remains unchanged”
Characteristic was the statement by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who spoke yesterday of a “fundamental disagreement” with the United States, noting that “American ambition to take control of Greenland remains unchanged.”
It should be noted that both Greenland and Denmark, to which the autonomous island belongs, have ruled out any possibility of sale, emphasizing that security issues must be resolved between allies.
In an intervention earlier this week, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen clarified that “it is not necessary for the US to acquire Greenland.” He also emphasized that Greenland is covered by NATO’s Article 5, while adding that Denmark believes Greenland’s long-term security is ensured within the existing institutional framework.
“We continue to have fundamental disagreements, but we will continue to talk,” he stated, adding that “there is no immediate threat from China or Russia that we cannot handle.”
