US President Donald Trump has again reiterated his controversial desire to acquire ‘Greenland’, an autonomous region under the control of Denmark. He said with full confidence, "I think we are going to achieve it."
While speaking to the media in the US President’s official plane Air Force One, Donald Trump also claimed that 57,000 residents of the Arctic island are eager to join America.
According to media reports the US President said, "I am confident that we will get Greenland, it is really a freedom issue for the world. It has nothing to do with the United States of America, except that we can provide freedom."
Trump’s comments came after a phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
During the conversation, Trump reportedly made economic threats, including possible tariffs on Denmark’s exports, to pressure Denmark to give up control of Greenland.
According to the report, five European officials described the call as ‘aggressive’ and ‘potentially very dangerous’. However, Denmark strongly rejected Trump’s idea. The Danish Prime Minister’s office said it ‘does not recognize the interpretation of the conversation given by unidentified sources.’
Earlier this month, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV that ‘Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people’ and only the local population can determine its future. He said ‘Greenland is not for sale’, but stressed that Denmark needed closer cooperation with NATO ally the US.
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egged has also clarified that Greenland is not ‘for sale’. However, he is a supporter of Greenland’s independence from Denmark.
Greenland is located on the shortest route from North America to Europe. It is home to a large American space center. It has some of the largest reserves of rare minerals, which are important in the manufacturing of batteries and high-tech devices.
Trump has previously said that these islands are important to keep an eye on Chinese and Russian ships which are visible everywhere these days.
