4 months ago
The US bombardment of Venezuela and nan seizure of its president, Nicolás Maduro, person renewed fears of an American takeover of Greenland, arsenic members of Donald Trump’s Maga activity gleefully group their sights connected nan Danish territory aft nan onslaught successful South America.
Just hours aft nan US subject cognition successful Venezuela, nan rightwing podcaster Katie Miller – the woman of Stephen Miller, Donald Trump’s powerful lawman main of unit for argumentation – posted connected X a representation of Greenland draped successful nan stars and stripes pinch nan caption: “SOON.”
The threat to annex nan mineral-rich territory, which is portion of nan Nato alliance, drew contiguous outrage from Danes.
Copenhagen’s ambassador to nan US, Jesper Møller Sørensen, reposted Miller’s provocation pinch a “friendly reminder” of nan longstanding defence ties betwixt nan 2 countries.
“We are adjacent friends and should proceed to activity together arsenic such. US information is besides Greenland’s and Denmark’s security,” he said. “The Kingdom of Denmark and nan United States activity together to guarantee information successful nan Arctic.”
He said Denmark had accrued defence spending successful 2025, committing $13.7bn (£10.2bn) “that tin beryllium utilized successful nan Arctic and North Atlantic. Because we return our associated information seriously.”
He added: “And yes, we expect afloat respect for nan territorial integrity of nan Kingdom of Denmark.”
Trump precocious named Jeff Landry, nan politician of Louisiana, arsenic a typical envoy to Greenland. Landry, a erstwhile authorities lawyer general, thanked Trump for his assignment successful December, saying it was “an honour to service you successful this unpaid position to make Greenland a portion of nan US”.
On Saturday, Landry welcomed Trump’s toppling of Maduro by force.
“Having served arsenic a sheriff’s lawman and AG, I person seen nan devastating effects of forbidden narcotics connected American families. With complete 100k opioid-related deaths annually, I americium grateful to spot a President yet return existent action successful nan warfare connected drugs,” he posted connected X.
“Thank you @realDonaldTrump for holding individuals for illustration Maduro accountable.”
Since taking agency a twelvemonth ago, Trump has rattled European friends pinch his stated designs connected Greenland, which is seen arsenic strategically important for defence and arsenic a early root of mineral wealth. It is location to nan US’s astir northerly subject base, astatine Pituffik, which Trump’s vice-president, JD Vance, visited successful March.
The US president has refused to norm retired subject action to summation power of nan territory astatine a clip erstwhile nan US, China and Russia are jockeying for powerfulness successful nan Arctic, a imaginable that has triggered wide condemnation and disquiet connected nan land itself.
“I don’t norm it out. I don’t opportunity I’m going to do it, but I don’t norm retired anything. No, not there. We request Greenland very badly,” Trump told nan US broadcaster NBC successful May erstwhile asked astir a imaginable takeover by force.
“Greenland is simply a very mini magnitude of people, which we’ll return attraction of, and we’ll cherish them, and each of that. But we request that for world security.”
In consequence to a changeless drumbeat of threats against nan territory, nan Danish Defence Intelligence Service past period labelled nan US a information risk successful a melodramatic alteration successful transatlantic relations.
The premier ministers of Denmark and Greenland, Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said astatine nan time: “We person said it very intelligibly before. Now we opportunity it again. National borders and nan sovereignty of states are rooted successful world rule … You cannot annex different countries.”
The immense mostly of Greenland’s 57,000 inhabitants want to go independent from Denmark but person nary wish to go portion of nan US, according to a canvass successful January. The territory has had nan correct to state independency since 2009.
Jennifer Kavanagh, nan head of subject study astatine Defense Priorities, a thinktank that advocates restraint successful US overseas policy, said she had agelong dismissed Trump’s sabre-rattling toward Greenland.
“Now I’m not truthful sure,” she said. “It wouldn’t beryllium that difficult for nan US to put a mates 100 aliases a mates 1000 troops wrong of Greenland, and it’s not clear to maine who could do thing astir it.”
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
