JAKARTA - President Donald Trump notified Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Mark Rutte on Thursday that US control over Greenland is needed to improve international security, increasing his campaign to annex the strategic Arctic island.
"You know, Mark, we need him for international security, not just international security, we have a lot of our favorite players sailing around the coast, and we have to be careful," President Trump told Secretary General Rutte as they sat side by side in the Oval Room of the White House to negotiate.
"We will talk to you," he said.
When asked directly about the prospects for annexation, President Trump said: "I think it will happen."
President Trump has made Greenland's annexation by the US a key topic of talks since he took office on January 20.
His comments on Thursday suggest he may want NATO to engage in his efforts to take over the island, Denmark's semi-autonomous region.
The comments were immediately rejected by the Greenland prime minister who would step down.
"The US president once again voiced the idea of annexing us," Mute Egede said in a post on Facebook.
"That's enough." Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the pro-business party Demokraatit on the island, who won Greenland's parliamentary election on Tuesday, also rejected the comments.
"Trump's statement from the US is inappropriate and only shows once again that we must unite in such a situation," Nielsen wrote on Facebook.
NATO and the Danish embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The poll showed that most Greenland residents opposed joining the US, although the majority supported independence from Denmark in the end.
Before starting his second term as president, Trump said he hoped to make Greenland part of the United States, although Denmark's NATO allies said it was not for sale.
Greenland's strategic location and abundant mineral resources could benefit the US. Greenland is located along the shortest route from Europe to North America, which is critical to the US ballistic missile warning system.
Meanwhile, Secretary General Rutte told President Trump he would raise questions about Greenland's future to others and "I don't want to drag NATO" into debate.
He said it should be a topic for countries in "utara", as China and Russia use waterways in the area.
SEE ALSO:
-
| BERITA
Presiden Zelensky Sebut Presiden Putin Tidak Menginginkan Gencatan Senjata
14 Maret 2025, 09:15
President Trump insisted, saying Denmark refused to discuss the topic and he might send more US troops to strengthen the American base in Greenland.
"We have negotiated with Denmark, we have negotiated with Greenland, and we have to. We really need it for national security. I think that's why NATO may have to get involved, because we really need Greenland for national security. That's very important," said President Trump.
President Trump is also trying to weaken Denmark's claim to the island.
"You know, Denmark is very far away, and it really has nothing to do with it. What happened, a ship landed there 200 years ago or something? And they said they had rights to it. I don't know if that's true. I don't think so," he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
