WASHINGTON, January 12. /TASS/. China or Russia may "take" Greenland if the US does not, President Donald Trump told reporters.

"If we don't take Greenland, Russia or China will take Greenland, and I am not going to let that happen," he said. "One way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland," the US leader also said, adding that the option of concluding a deal to transfer control of the island to Washington would "be easier."

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated the need for Greenland to join the US. During his first presidential term, he proposed buying the island, and in March 2025, he expressed confidence that it could be annexed.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen signed a defense treaty in addition to their NATO alliance commitments. Under the treaty, the US undertook to defend the island from potential aggression.