Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Donald Trump said he would not use military force to seize Greenland. However, the President called for immediate negotiations for the US to acquire the Danish colony.
“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be frankly unstoppable, but I won’t do that,” Trump said Wednesday. “All I’m asking for is a place called Greenland.”
The President went on to argue that the US should have annexed Greenland at the end of World War 2, but the US mistakenly returned it to Greenland.
Concern has grown in recent days that the US would use military force to seize Greenland. Prior to his remarks at the WEF, Trump refused to rule out deploying the military to claim the territory.
In his addresses, the President demanded that Denmark enter into immediate talks with the US about transferring control of Greenland to Washington.
On Tuesday, Danish MP Rasmus Jarlov said that if the US military invades Greenland, “it would be a war, and we would be fighting against each other.”
“There’s no threat, there’s no hostility. There’s no need, because the Americans already have access to Greenland, both militarily and in all other ways.” He continued, “There are no drug routes. There is no illegitimate government in Greenland. There is absolutely no justification for it– no historical ownership, no broken treaties, nothing can justify it.”
The Danish Defense Ministry has also claimed that the US is spying on its ports and military facilities in Greenland.
Trump has attempted to use economic coercion to wrest control of Greenland from Denmark. The President slapped a 10% tariff on Denmark and threatened to raise it to 25% if the US is not given control of the territory.
