Trump says U.S. will take Greenland ‘one way or the other,’ China hits back over Arctic threats
His comments come as Danish officials are scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Sunday that her country was “at a crossroads,” with Trump’s threats sending shockwaves through NATO capitals and forcing Europe to weigh plans that might display its commitment to security in the Arctic.
“Disagreements and conflicts between the United States and Europe only benefit our adversaries. They weaken us and strengthen them,” Frederiksen wrote in a post on Facebook.
“Denmark is a loyal and strong ally. We are in the midst of a significant rearmament, and we are ready to defend our values — wherever it is necessary — also in the Arctic,” she added. “We believe in international law and in peoples’ right to self-determination.”
Frederiksen said last week that a U.S. attack on another NATO state would mean the end of the alliance, a message echoed Monday by Andrius Kubilius, the European commissioner for defense.
Kubilius also said that the European Union Treaty obliged member states to come to Copenhagen’s assistance if faced with military aggression, but that “it will depend very much on Denmark.”
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that although he “liked” the alliance, NATO needed the U.S. more than the other way around.
Trump also reiterated his previous disparaging comment about Greenland’s defense, saying it consists of “two dog sleds.”
“In the meantime, you have Russian destroyers and submarines and China destroyers and submarines all over the place,” he added.
Experts have questioned the presence of these ships, and Beijing pushed back Monday at Trump’s assertions that China had designs over Greenland.
“The Arctic involves the collective interests of the international community,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a daily briefing, adding that China’s activities in the region were “promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development” while complying with international law.
“The United States should not use other countries as an excuse to pursue its own private interests,” she added.
