Recently, US President-elect Donald Trump stirred up public opinion when he repeated his statement about wanting to buy Greenland, Denmark's autonomous territory in the Arctic.
In a statement posted on the social network Truth Social on December 24, Mr. Trump clearly stated: "For the sake of national security and freedom around the world , the United States feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is absolutely necessary."
Immediately, Danish and Greenland officials both denied it, declaring that the world's largest island, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and near the North Pole, was "not for sale".
This is not the first time Mr. Trump has mentioned the issue of buying Greenland. In 2019, Mr. Trump, then President of the United States, discussed the idea of buying Greenland with senior advisers and Senator Tom Cotton.
Mr. Cotton said he proposed the purchase of Greenland to President Trump because of the island's importance to US national security as well as its huge economic potential.
When the Wall Street Journal reported on Mr. Trump's discussions with US officials, leaders in Greenland and Denmark immediately rejected the sale of the world's largest island.
At that time, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen went to Greenland and declared that the discussion by US officials was "absurd" because: "Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Denmark's. Greenland is Greenland's".
In response to these reactions, on August 20, 2019, Mr. Trump canceled his planned state visit to Denmark.
Not only Mr. Trump, in the past, the US has discussed buying Greenland twice in 1867 and 1910. Time magazine said that in 1946, US officials made a third offer to buy this territory from Denmark for 100 million USD. Of course, these offers could not come true.
Why Greenland?
Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, covering an area of approximately 2.1 million km², with a population of approximately 56,000. Greenland is strategically important as it lies along the shortest route to Europe, and is a key point for monitoring shipping lanes and military activity in the region.
Not only that, the island has huge natural resources, including uranium, rare earths and an estimated 50 billion barrels of offshore oil and gas. In particular, the ice in the Arctic is gradually melting due to climate change, opening up maritime trade routes.
In addition, the increasingly fierce competition in the Arctic has put Greenland in the center of attention. China sees Greenland as part of its “Polar Silk Road” strategy. Meanwhile, although it has no direct ties to the island, Russia’s growing presence in the Arctic has also worried its neighbors, including Denmark .
| Mr. Trump is very smart... he got Denmark to prioritize military capabilities in the Arctic just by speaking up. |
In 2019, Associate Professor Walter Berbrick of the US Naval Academy and founding director of the Arctic Research Group commented: "Whoever holds Greenland holds the Arctic. This is the most important strategic location in the region and perhaps in the world."
The US currently has a large air base in the northwest of the island. The units stationed here are all strategic units with the task of operating satellite systems that warn of the threat of intercontinental ballistic missile attacks on North America.
Smart move
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| US Thule Air Force Base in Northwest Greenland. (Source: US Air Force) |
Trump’s repeated interest in buying Greenland during his second term in the White House shows that he does not consider this a joke. “No one thinks it’s funny right now,” said Marc Jacobsen, associate professor at the Danish National Defense University.
On December 24, just hours after the US President-elect announced his intention to buy Greenland, Denmark - a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) - announced plans to dramatically increase defense spending on the island. According to Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, the spending package is worth “tens of billions” of Danish kroner, equivalent to at least $1.5 billion.
Calling the timing of the announcement a “coincidence” with Trump’s announcement, Danish officials said the spending package would include two new patrol vessels, two long-range drones and two additional dog sled teams for the Arctic Command in Greenland’s capital Nuuk.
“We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years, now we are planning a stronger presence,” said the Danish minister.
It is unclear what exactly Mr Trump's intentions were in announcing the purchase of Greenland and whether he will take further action to make his announcement a reality, but perhaps one can agree with the assessment of Army Major Steen Kjaergaard of the Danish Defence Academy to the BBC : "President-elect Trump is very smart... he is making Denmark prioritise its military capabilities in the Arctic just by speaking up."
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/phat-ngon-gay-soc-cua-ong-trump-ve-viec-mua-greenland-khong-phai-la-lan-dau-tien-tai-sao-lai-chap-niem-298677.html
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