“Denmark is strengthening the defense of Greenland after Trump’s statements The Danish government has announced the allocation of more than 1.5 billion dollars for the defense of Greenland. The decision was made after Trump again stated the need for the US to own the Arctic territory.”, — write on: unn.ua
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the package represented a “double-digit billion” amount in kroner, or at least $1.5 billion.
He called the moment of the announcement “ironic.” On Monday, Trump said that possession and control of the huge island is an “absolute necessity” for the United States.
Let’s add
Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, is the “home” of a large American space object and is of strategic importance to the United States, as it is located on the shortest route to Europe. It has large reserves of minerals.
Poulsen said the package would buy two new inspection ships, two new long-range drones and two additional dog sleds.
It will also include funding to increase the staffing of the Arctic Command in the capital Nuuk and upgrade one of Greenland’s three main civilian airports to accommodate F-35 supersonic fighter jets.
“We have underinvested in the Arctic for many years, now we are planning a stronger presence,” he said.
The Minister of Defense did not name the exact amount of the package, but the Danish mass media estimated that it would amount to about 12-15 billion kroner.
The announcement came a day after Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social: “For the purposes of national security and freedom around the world, the United States of America believes that possession and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede responded to Trump’s comments by saying “we are not selling out.”
But he added that Greenlanders should continue to be open to cooperation and trade, especially with their neighbors.
Analysts say the plan has been discussed for a long time and should not be seen as a direct response to Trump’s comments.
We will remind
Trump’s initial proposal in 2019 for the US to acquire Greenland, the world’s largest island, drew a similarly sharp response from the country’s leaders.
At the time, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the idea “absurd,” prompting Trump to cancel a state trip to the country.
He is not the first US president to offer to buy Greenland. This idea was first expressed in the 1860s during the presidency of Andrew Johnson.