LONDON, December 25. /TASS/. The Danish government has announced the allocation of additional funds for Greenland's defense following US President-elect Donald Trump's statement that Washington needs to take control of this territory, the BBC reported, citing Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

According to the senior defense official, the amount of money allocated for Greenland's defense is in the tens of billions of kroner. The minister did not reveal the exact amount, but according to local media estimates, it is around 12-15 billion kroner (approximately $1.7-2 billion). Poulsen pointed out that with this funding, Denmark will be able to purchase two new ships and two long-range drones.

In addition, Denmark plans to increase the number of personnel at the Joint Arctic Command in the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk. The country also intends to upgrade one of Greenland's three main civilian airports to accommodate the F-35 supersonic fighter jets. Poulsen emphasized that Denmark has not invested sufficiently in the Arctic, so it plans to expand its presence there.

Earlier in December, Trump stated that "the United States of America believes that the ownership and control of Greenland is a fundamental necessity." In response, Greenland’s prime minister Mute Egede stated that the island "is not for sale and will never be for sale."

US media outlets reported during Trump's first presidency that the politician was considering the possibility of purchasing Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. The island's authorities rejected any discussion of selling the island, deeming the idea preposterous.