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31 Jan, 08:00

Nearly half of Danes believe US poses threat to Denmark — poll

Meanwhile, 44% of survey participants also regard North Korea as a threat to the country, while 40% see danger in Iran

LONDON, January 31. /TASS/. According to a public opinion poll conducted by the YouGov research service and published by The Guardian, almost half of Danish residents believe that the US poses a threat to their country.

According to its findings, 46% of respondents see the US as a "very big" or "fairly big" threat to Denmark. Meanwhile, 44% of survey participants also regard North Korea as a threat to the country, while 40% see danger in Iran.

According to the same survey, 78% of respondents opposed the sale of Greenland to the US. Meanwhile, 72% people believe that the island itself, rather than Denmark, should make the final decision on the issue.

The poll was conducted on January 15-22, with over 1,000 Danish residents taking part.

US President-elect Donald Trump stated on January 7 that Greenland should become part of the United States to ensure national security and defend against the Chinese and Russian threats. Trump had suggested in 2019 during his first presidential term that the US could buy Greenland, which is currently a part of Denmark and enjoys extensive autonomy. Both Greenlandic and Danish officials dismissed the proposal as preposterous.

Greenland is part of Denmark as an autonomous territory. Since 1979, it has had the legal right to declare independence by referendum. The United States and Denmark are founding members of NATO. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen signed the Greenland Defense Treaty. In accordance with this agreement, the United States committed to defend the island from external aggression. To this end, it established the Thule airbase there, the largest in the Arctic, where a US military contingent is deployed and strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons are stationed. In 2023, the airbase was renamed Pituffik Space Base, which performs the tasks of the missile warning system and control of the Arctic region.