Donald Trump has been thinking about buying Greenland for years.
But the annexation “is not a good idea” and “it is not going to happen,” said Antony Blinken this Wednesday in Paris, the head of US diplomacy until the Republican takes office on the 20th.
In a joint press conference with the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, Blinken strove to rule out that scenario proposed by Trump, who in an appearance on Tuesday did not want to rule out resorting to force to incorporate that territory into the United States. Danish.
The secretary insisted that “we obtain better results when we collaborate with our allies” and that the important thing is to consolidate those alliances.
Read: Denmark responds to Trump: ‘Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders’
Last month, the next US president wrote in Truth Social that the country should take control of the island “for reasons of national security and freedom.”
He also proposed the idea in 2019, telling reporters that “strategically it’s interesting,” calling the theoretical acquisition “essentially (…) a big real estate deal.”
The Danish territory is home to the US military’s Pituffik space base and has become increasingly important on a geopolitical scale as melting ice in the Arctic Circle has opened new shipping routes in the North Atlantic, attracting interest from American rivals, Russia and China.
Shipping in the Arctic has increased 37% in the last decade, CNN notes, citing the Arctic Council and the Northwest Passage, a shipping route connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific, passes through Greenland.
The island is also part of the strategically important gap between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom, a choke point that Russian ships must pass through to travel from the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic.
However, as members of NATO, the United States and Denmark are already closely aligned.
Does Greenland have mineral wealth?
Greenland is believed to be home to a large amount of untapped mineral resources, including coal, zinc, copper, iron ore, diamonds and oil, although only small parts of the island have been explored, partly due to its harsh conditions, as It is predominantly covered by ice and glaciers.
Who owns Greenland?
Greenland is part of Denmark. The country’s ties to the island, which is home to fewer than 60,000 people, most of whom are Inuit (a native people), go back centuries: Norse settlers arrived in the territory more than a millennium ago before eventually disappearing, and Denmark began to colonize the island in the 18th century.
Greenland now has representatives in the Danish parliament, and its local government has gained more autonomy to handle internal affairs in recent decades, although Denmark still controls its foreign relations.
In recent years, a push for full independence has taken on greater importance.
Read: Trump’s son visits Greenland after his father reiterated interest in the island
Trump claimed in 2019 that Greenland is “hurting Denmark a lot because they are losing almost $700 million a year holding it,” referring to Denmark’s financial assistance to Greenland.
Is Greenland for sale?
No. Greenland became autonomous in 2009, and a change in its ownership or legal status would require an amendment to the Danish Constitution, according to Reuters.
The leaders of Greenland and Denmark have rejected Trump’s suggestions.
Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede said last month: “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and never will be. “We must not lose our long fight for freedom.”
Danish King Frederick also changed the royal coat of arms earlier this month to more prominently feature a polar bear, representing Greenland, and a ram, representing the Faroe Islands, leading to some speculation that The move was a message to Trump, although Greenland and Denmark have seen heightened tensions in recent years as the island’s government has called for independence.
The Danish royal house did not address suggestions that the changes were made in response to Trump, but said in a statement that the three crowns symbolizing the union of Denmark, Norway and Sweden were replaced by the ram and polar bear because “they are already were not relevant,” The Guardian reported.
Leaders also strongly rejected the idea of selling Greenland to the United States when Trump first made the suggestion in 2019.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it an “absurd discussion” at the time and said: “I firmly hope that this is not a serious conversation.”
The comments sparked a public dispute with Trump, who canceled a planned visit to Denmark because of Frederiksen’s comments, which he called “disgusting” and “inappropriate.”
What other territories has Trump suggested taking?
Trump has also threatened to demand the repossession of the Panama Canal and has jokingly suggested that the United States should take over Canada.
Trump referred to Canada as “the 51st state” in a Truth Social post on Monday after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his plans to resign.
Trump’s threat in November to impose a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico has irritated Canadian leaders, dividing Trudeau and his allies.
Trump said Canada “would be TOTALLY SAFE from the threat of Russian and Chinese ships constantly surrounding them” if it joined the United States.
Some Canadian politicians have rejected the suggestion, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford jokingly suggesting that Canada should buy Minnesota and Alaska.
More seriously, Trump said last month that he would demand that “the Panama Canal be returned to us, in its entirety, quickly and without questions,” unless the Panamanian government meets his “moral and legal” requirements, reiterating his grievances. that Panama charges the United States “highly unfair” rates for ships passing through the canal.
The United States built the canal in the 20th century and maintained control of the territory surrounding it for decades, before transferring it to Panama beginning in the 1970s.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino dismissed the suggestion to give up the canal in a video message: “Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to PANAMA, and will remain so.”
Trump responded on Truth Social: “We’ll see about that,” and posted a photo of the American flag over the channel with the text: “Welcome to the American Channel!”
Truman offered Denmark $100 million in gold for Greenland
In 1946, former President Harry Truman offered Denmark $100 million in gold to purchase Greenland amid rising tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Greenland was located between the two countries and was considered a potential battleground. The offer was “considered an insult” to the Danish government, Florida State University professor Ronald Doel told The Washington Post.
With information from Forbes US and EFE
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