White House: Maybe it would be better for Greenland to join the US

JAKARTA - White House officials said President Donald Trump's desire to make Greenland part of the United States was due to concerns about China and Russia, saying it might be better for the region to join the Uncle Sam.

Speaking at a press conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump wants to make Greenland a US territory because he is concerned that Russia or China may claim the island.

"I think the President (US) (Donald Trump) was very clear last night. He said that he wants to see the United States acquire Greenland, because he feels that if we don't do it, then the island will eventually be acquired or even taken over by force by China or Russia, which is not a good thing for the United States, Europe, or Greenland," the White House Press Secretary told reporters, launching TASS (13/1).

"Maybe it would be better for Greenland to become part of the United States," he added.

Earlier, President Donald Trump said on Sunday the United States would seize Greenland "by any means," warning Russia or China would "take over" if Washington did not act.

He said controlling the mineral-rich Danish territory was vital for US national security, given Russia's and China's increased military activity in the Arctic.

"If we don't seize Greenland, Russia or China will do it, and I won't let that happen," President Trump told reporters on Air Force One, although no country claims the vast island, Al Arabiya reported from AFP.

President Trump said he would be open to making a deal with the Danish autonomous region "but whatever it is, we're going to have Greenland."

Meanwhile, Denmark and other European allies have expressed alarm at Trump's threats against the island, which plays a strategic role between North America and the Arctic, and where the United States has had a military base since World War II.

A Danish colony until 1953, Greenland gained self-rule 26 years later and is considering eventually loosening its ties with Denmark.

Most residents and his political party have said they do not want to be under US control, insisting Greenlanders should determine their own future, a view consistently opposed by President Trump.

Last weekend, the leaders of the political parties in Greenland stated that they did not want to become US citizens.

"We don't want to be Americans, we don't want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders," they said in a joint statement quoted by Anadolu.

The party leaders also stressed that the US should stop "underestimating" Greenland. "The future of Greenland must be determined by the people of Greenland," they said.

The statement also highlighted that the archipelago has increased its participation in the international arena in recent years.