“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Davos called US President Donald Trump’s decision to abandon threats to seize Greenland by force a “correct step””, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“Any threat to seize European territory by force is unacceptable. The new tariffs will also undermine the foundations of transatlantic relations,” he said at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos.
Mertz also welcomed the fact that the United States “takes seriously the threat posed by Russia in the Arctic.”
Read also: Denmark is ready for a constructive dialogue on security in Greenland, but on the condition that sovereignty is respected – Frederiksen
Earlier The White House mentioned the use of American armed forces, purchase and other methods as possible options for establishing control over Greenland. And Trump spoke about Washington’s readiness to “do something” about the island even without the consent of its inhabitants.
On January 21, during a speech in Davos at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, Trump said that the United States would not use military force against Greenland, but insisted on the need for full control of the island for security reasons.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Trump’s words were a “positive signal,” even though he had not given up on his desire to annex the island to the United States.
On January 21, at a meeting of the Security Council, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that “what is happening in Greenland does not concern us at all.” At the same time, he stated that Russia has “experience in solving similar issues with the United States” and mentioned Russia’s sale of Alaska in 1867. Putin then compared the size of Alaska to Greenland and suggested that, by similar logic, Greenland’s value could be “somewhere around 200-250 million dollars” or “closer to a billion”.
Donald Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to gain control over Greenland. The idea was first expressed by him in 2019 during the first presidential term. Trump argues that Denmark, whose autonomous territory is Greenland, has not done enough to protect it, and that the strategically located and mineral-rich island is vital to US security, and that the United States must own it to prevent it from being occupied by Russia or China.