“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, while also announcing Ken Howery for US ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark.
Trump’s reopening of discussions about purchasing rare earth minerals-rich Greenland came just before Christmas and were followed by the usual kerfuffle from the liberal media.
But, as the Wall Street Journal reports, during his New Year speech, Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede emphasized his desire to pursue independence from Denmark, its former colonial ruler, marking a significant change in the rhetoric surrounding the Arctic island’s future.
As a reminder, Greenland – the world’s biggest island which is home to about 57,000 people – was a Danish colony until it become a self-governing territory of Denmark in 1979.
Since 2009, Greenland has held the right to declare independence through a referendum.
Egede’s speech also expressed a desire to strengthen Greenland’s cooperation with other countries.
“It is about time that we ourselves take a step and shape our future, also with regard to who we will cooperate closely with, and who our trading partners will be,” he said…
“It is now time for our country to take the next step. Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation – which we can describe as the shackles of colonialism – and move forward,” he said.
As Mike Shedlock notes, Greenland – whose capital Nuuk is nearer to New York than Copenhagen – is rich in mineral, oil, and natural gas resources, but it relies on annual subsidies from Denmark worth some €500 million a year.
Home to a large US Air Force air base, Greenland is strategically vital for the US military. Following Trump’s latest remarks about buying the island last month, Denmark announced it would increase defence spending there by at least €1.3 billion — though Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the timing was just an “irony of fate”.
Of course, none of this means that Mr. Egede welcomes a U.S. acquisition. Kathryn Armstrong reported for the BBC after the most recent Trump declaration of interest last month:
Greenland has once again said it is not for sale after US President-elect Donald Trump said he wanted to take control of the territory.
“Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland,” its prime minister said on Monday, a day after Trump repeated comments about the Arctic island that he first made several years ago.
But if Greenland is rapidly moving toward a split with Denmark, it will likely be seeking a partner to offer security, as well as new commercial opportunities. The BBC report quoted Mr. Egede:
“We must not lose our long struggle for freedom. However, we must continue to be open to co-operation and trade with the whole world, especially with our neighbours,” he said.
Responding to Trump’s latest comments, Egede last week said that Greenland is “not for sale and will never be for sale”.
Danish voters may well have something to say about that…
Make Greenland Great Again?
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