BRUSSELS, October 21. /TASS/. The Danish government still worries that US President Donald Trump has not abandoned the idea of seizing Greenland, despite his silence over the past few months, Politico reported, citing sources.
"Senior Danish officials fear that Trump is still determined to become the first U.S. president to make a significant expansion to American territory since Andrew Johnson bought Alaska in 1867," it said.
"The Danes also fear that some of their European partners in the EU and NATO have failed to grasp how existential a threat to U.S. relations, and to global respect for sovereignty and international borders, Trump’s Greenland fixation could become."
They are unwilling to provoke the volatile American leader, especially during the trade and cooperation negotiations with the United States.
"Instead, they prefer to treat Trump’s plans to annex Greenland as a distraction or a joke, but no one in Copenhagen is laughing," Politico says.
The Pentagon has included Greenland in the area of responsibility of the Northern Command of the US Armed Forces. Washington's decision will strengthen the ability of the American armed forces to defend the continental United States, as well as help strengthen the defense of the Western hemisphere and deepen relations with allies and partners in the Arctic. Politico reported that the United States did not notify the Danish government of its plans.
Trump's statements
The current American leader has repeatedly said that Greenland, an autonomous region within Denmark, should join the United States. The island’s independence became one of the key topics during the elections to the Parliament of Greenland in March this year. Opinion polls show that the bulk of Greenlanders would support this, but they have not yet decided when and how the secession will take place. A survey conducted in January showed that only 6% of the population are in favor of joining the United States.
Trump in early May did not rule out the use of force to resolve the issue with Greenland. US Vice President JD Vance said at the end of March that the American government expects Greenland to gain independence and join the United States peacefully. According to Vance, Washington is not threatening to use military force in this case.