NEW YORK, January 20. /TASS/. Several aircraft of the North American Joint Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will arrive at an American military base in Greenland soon amid Washington's threats to annex the island.
"North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) aircraft will soon arrive at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland. Along with aircraft operating from bases in the continental United States and Canada, they will support various long-planned NORAD activities, building on the enduring defense cooperation between the United States and Canada, as well as the Kingdom of Denmark," the joint US-Canadian defense organization NORAD said on X.
"This activity has been coordinated with the Kingdom of Denmark, and all supporting forces operate with the requisite diplomatic clearances. The Government of Greenland is also informed of planned activities."
Trump threatened to levy duties of 10% on Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, France and Sweden from February 1 and until the parties reached agreements "on a complete and total purchase" of Greenland by Washington. From June 1, the duty will increase to 25%.
Greenland is part of Denmark as an autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen, in addition to allied commitments to NATO, signed the Greenland Defense Treaty, under which the United States has committed itself to defending the island from possible aggression.
The United States and Canada signed the NORAD treaty in 1958, at the dawn of the Cold War. The main goal is to provide an early warning of ballistic missile launches and protection against aircraft and cruise missiles invading the airspace of the two countries.