{"id":39793,"date":"2024-12-24T10:12:31","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T10:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/omegatv.online\/?p=39793"},"modified":"2025-07-02T07:45:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:45:21","slug":"trump-says-us-control-ownership-of-greenland-an-absolute-necessity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/omegatv.online\/en\/trump-says-us-control-ownership-of-greenland-an-absolute-necessity\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Says US Control, Ownership of Greenland an \u2018Absolute Necessity\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) is pictured in northern Greenland, on October 4, 2023. The base changed its name earlier in 2023. The reason for the new name is that the base is no longer operated by the US Air Force, but instead by the US Space Force. (Photo by Thomas Traasdahl \/ Ritzau Scanpix \/ AFP) \/ Denmark OUT Photo by THOMAS TRAASDAHL\/Ritzau Scanpix\/AFP via Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States made previous offers to purchase Greenland, first in 1867 and again in 1946.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President-elect Donald Trump said on Dec. 22 that U.S. control and ownership of Greenland is \u201can absolute necessity\u201d for \u201cnational security and freedom throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His comments came as he announced PayPal co-founder and former Trump administration U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Ken Howery as his nominee for U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump commended<\/a> Howery for his role in leading efforts to increase defense, security, and economic cooperation between the United States and Sweden and said he would do a wonderful job in representing the interests of the United States to Denmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede has replied to Trump\u2019s comment on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGreenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,\u201d Egede said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Epoch Times has reached out to Denmark\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Greenland for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his first term, Trump expressed interest<\/a> in purchasing the strategically located, resource-rich island, which is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland has faced long-standing financial challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEssentially it\u2019s a large real estate deal. A lot of things can be done. It\u2019s hurting Denmark very badly because they\u2019re losing almost $700 million a year carrying it,\u201d Trump said<\/a> at the time. \u201cSo, they carry it at [a] great loss, and strategically for the United States, it would be nice. And, we\u2019re a big ally of Denmark and we help Denmark, and we protect Denmark.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States made previous offers to purchase Greenland, first in 1867 and again in 1946 under President Harry Truman. Denmark declined each time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGreenland is rich in valuable resources such as minerals, the purest water and ice, fish stocks, seafood, renewable energy, and is a new frontier for adventure tourism,\u201d the Department of Foreign Affairs in Greenland told<\/a> Trump in 2019. \u201cWe\u2019re open for business, not for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The landmass, approximately a quarter the size of the United States, has a small population of about 57,000 and a $3.24 billion economy, according<\/a> to 2021 estimates cited by the Central Intelligence Agency. Its economy is heavily reliant on fish, shrimp, and subsidies from Copenhagen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former Danish colony is strategically located about halfway along the shortest route from Europe and Russia to North America. It relies on Denmark for its defense, possessing no military of its own to monitor its 27,000 miles of coastline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denmark and the United States agreed to the shared defense of Greenland in the 1951 Defense Agreement<\/a>, which gave Washington exclusive jurisdiction over defense areas within Greenland and the ability to enhance its surveillance of Arctic waters, central to NATO\u2019s Arctic strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It currently hosts the Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, in its remote northwest. The compound supports personnel from Denmark, Canada, Greenland, and the U.S. Space Force and its space surveillance activities. The base also hosts an Upgraded Early Warning Radar system that is critical for monitoring intercontinental ballistic missile launches from locations such as Russia, the Middle East, or even North Korea and China if their missiles cross the Arctic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, a republican movement in Greenland has been advocating establishing the island as its own sovereign state and severing ties with the Danish monarchy, although Danish financial support covers more than half of Greenland\u2019s public budget. A draft constitution was unveiled in June 2023. Independence for the former Danish colony would come from a referendum in Greenland and the approval of the Danish Parliament, which is scheduled for an election in April 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past decade, efforts to diversify the local economy and expand mineral mining, oil and gas exploration, and tourism have made Greenland increasingly economically dependent on China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Chinese state media reports, Beijing considers Greenland a critical and strategic part of its Arctic ambitions, given Greenland\u2019s close proximity to Arctic shipping lanes and rich mineral resources, including uranium and rare earth minerals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) outlined to the public its ambitions for a \u201cPolar Silk Road,\u201d an extension of its Belt and Road initiative. It sought to develop more shipping lanes through the Arctic and encourage Chinese enterprises to build infrastructure in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Chinese state media running articles advocating Chinese investment in Greenland to help the island fulfill \u201cits desire\u201d to become an independent nation, China made significant attempts to gain a foothold, although many of its efforts that presented national security concerns\u2014such as investment bids for Greenland mining, purchasing an abandoned naval base at Kangilinnguit, and Chinese state-owned companies\u2019 bidding to finance<\/a>Greenland airports<\/a>\u2014have been rejected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CCP has been successful in promoting Chinese cultural activities in Greenland, which promotes the Chinese communist regime\u2019s views overseas. In 2023, Greenland officially opened a representative office in Beijing, with Greenlandic Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Motzfeldt saying<\/a>, \u201cGreenland is looking forward to strengthening our trade relations and diplomatic ties with China.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening was delayed following the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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