President Trump says a military presence on Greenland is not sufficient, and he wants to have ownership of the Arctic island, citing the Russian and Chinese presence in the Arctic.
Mr. Trump said defenses on the massive island, which is controlled by Denmark, cannot repel a challenge from rival nations.
“Greenland, basically, their defense is two dogsleds,” Mr. Trump said late Sunday on Air Force One. “In the meantime, you have Russian destroyers and submarines and [Chinese] destroyers and submarines all over the place.”
Mr. Trump is making no secret of his desire to annex Greenland into the U.S. to advance security interests.
The administration says it wants to purchase the island, but Mr. Trump has not ruled out military action, angering Danish officials and NATO members in Europe.
European leaders have urged the U.S. to respect Greenland’s sovereignty, and Denmark said the U.S. has wide access to the island through its Pituffik Air Force Base.
“We have bases on Greenland,” Mr. Trump said Sunday. “You need ownership. You need title, as they say in the real estate business.”
Beijing said Monday it is not doing anything wrong in the Arctic.
“Countries’ right and freedom to carry out activities in the Arctic in accordance with the law needs to be fully respected. The U.S. should not use other countries as a pretext for seeking selfish gains,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said there is no reason for the U.S. to take over Greenland. He said the military has unfettered access to bases, and it can strike agreements to get precious minerals from the island.
“We don’t need to take it over to do that,” Mr. Blinken said, saying aggressive actions would “gut NATO” and upend the U.S. relationship with Denmark, a steadfast ally.
Mr. Trump is eyeing Greenland as part of an aggressive policy in the Western Hemisphere that’s been dubbed the “Don-roe Doctrine.” It envisions the U.S. as the dominant power in the Western Hemisphere that would box out rivals such as China and Russia.
Mr. Trump is talking about Greenland after the U.S. military ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flew him to New York to face narco-terrorism charges.
The U.S. president believes his control of Venezuela is working out well, and he plans to meet with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez at some point.
“We’re working along really well with the leadership, and we’ll see how it all works out,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Blinken said the Maduro raid was “brilliant,” but the “same regime is still in place.”
“Are we going to move to a democratic transition so that the people can get the representation they actually deserve?” he said.
For now, Mr. Trump is moving fast to take control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and met with oil executives on Friday to discuss plans for returning to the country. Some executives were skeptical.
“If we look at the commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela, today it’s uninvestable,” Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, told the White House.
Mr. Trump said he did not like that response.
“I’d probably be inclined to keep Exxon out,” Mr. Trump said. “They’re playing too cute.”
