As Russia tries to become the "king" of the Arctic? Denmark admits negligence, Prime Minister takes urgent action

This week, US President-elect Donald Trump continued to declare his intention to buy the autonomous island of Greenland from the Kingdom of Denmark, not even ruling out the possibility of using military or economic measures to achieve his goal.

Donald Trump has expressed serious interest in buying Greenland. (Source: The Feed)

On January 8, according to US Congressman Mike Waltz, who was chosen by Mr. Trump as National Security Advisor in the new administration, Greenland is important to US national security.

"Russia is trying to be king of the Arctic, with more than 60 icebreakers, some of them nuclear-powered. We only have two and one just caught fire," Waltz told Fox News.

There is also the issue of critical minerals and natural resources: "As the Arctic ice caps melt, China is now accelerating its production of icebreakers and is also moving into the region. So this is an oil and gas issue and our national security."

In response to the seemingly drastic move by the incoming US administration, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen admitted: "For many years, we have neglected the necessary investment in ships and aircraft to monitor our kingdom and that is something we are trying to correct."

Meanwhile, on January 9, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen contacted Mr. Trump and “proposed an exchange,” affirming her readiness to discuss US interests in the Arctic. However, Ms. Frederiksen emphasized that: “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”

Prime Minister Frederiksen summoned party leaders in the Danish parliament , including two representatives from Greenland, to a meeting later that day to inform them of how the government was handling the matter.

European leaders support the sovereignty of Greenland, the world's largest island in the Arctic, with an area of ​​more than 2.1 million square kilometers. Russia has expressed concern about maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Ahead of the meeting, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters that Denmark had "absolutely no intention of escalating the war of words with a president about to enter the White House".

Sputnik news agency quoted Mr. Rasmussen as saying that he does not believe that Greenland has ambitions to become an "American state" and that Copenhagen is ready to dialogue with Washington to expand cooperation between Denmark and the US to ensure the interests of the land of the stars and stripes.

US President-elect Donald Trump first claimed the island in 2019 during his first term as president. In 2024, shortly after winning the US presidential election, he reaffirmed his interest, calling it a “real necessity” for Washington.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ong-trump-muon-mua-greenland-vi-nga-dang-co-thanh-vua-bac-cuc-dan-mach-thua-nhan-lo-la-thu-tuong-hanh-dong-khan-300343.html