“In Copenhagen, they are considering how to respond to US President-elect Donald Trump’s statements about wanting to annex Greenland, and are getting signals that this is not just a joke. Danish officials allegedly received signals from Trump’s advisers and associates that he was serious about his plans for Greenland.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
In Copenhagen, they are considering how to respond to US President-elect Donald Trump’s statements about wanting to annex Greenland, and are getting signals that this is not just a joke. Danish officials allegedly received signals from Trump’s advisers and associates that he was serious about his plans for Greenland.
Source: “European truth” with reference to CNN
Details: Currently, Danish officials are considering how to respond to Trump’s statements so as not to fall out with a strategic ally.
One of CNN’s interlocutors among the Danish officials noted that the general circumstances are very different now than when Trump actively talked about Greenland in 2019. Another added that this time “it looks a lot more serious.”
In Copenhagen, they are inclined to think that a frank conversation with Trump on this topic will be the best way out to avert the crisis.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Lars Lücke Rasmussen already signaled that Denmark is interested in starting a conversation with the future administration.
“We are open to a dialogue with the American side about how we could cooperate even more closely than now to meet the ambitions of the United States,” he said.
Greenland has long been viewed as an important strategic point for the US, particularly in the event of a direct confrontation with Russia.
However, CNN writes based on anonymous comments, officials in both the US and Denmark do not understand Trump’s “obsession” with Greenland, in particular because the United States already has a military base in Greenland and closely cooperates with Denmark on security measures in the Arctic.
One of the interlocutors relates this to the fact that sooner or later Greenland may declare independence, and then it is not known what the position of the local government will be, whether it will be sympathetic to Russia and China, or whether Greenland will remain in NATO.
At the same time, it is noted that it would be a challenge for the US to maintain the security measures around Greenland, which are currently being taken care of by the Danish Navy, starting with the laying of routes in a crisis.
Prehistory:
- Attention to the issue intensified after the renewal of Donald Trump’s statements about the desire to join Greenland to the United States. Trump refused to rule out the use of military force to take control of Greenland or the Panama Canal, which he has talked about in recent weeks.
- Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized that Greenland belongs to its inhabitants and that she cannot imagine a real attempt by the US to take the island by force, a number of other European leaders also made it clear that Trump’s statements were unacceptable.
- It was unofficially reported that on January 9, Frederiksen gathered party leaders in the Danish parliament to discuss Trump’s threats.