US President Donald Trump has reiterated his threat to seize Greenland, insisting that the United States “needs” control of the territory.
His remarks come amid reports of gunfire in Caracas, only hours after Nicolás Maduro appeared in court, according to Sky News.
Following the US-led operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife, speculation is mounting over what President Trump’s next move may be.
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In an interview with NBC News, Trump said that he is “very serious” about annexing Greenland.
“We need Greenland for national security, and that includes Europe,” the US president said.
“That includes, you know, I’m very loyal to Europe. That includes Europe. We need [it] for national security, right now.”
Trump then emphasised again that Greenland is “essential for the national security of the US, Europe and other parts of the free world”, per Sky News.
The US President had previously stated that the US “absolutely” needed the semi-autonomous territory, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister of Denmark, released a statement in response, saying: “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland.”
International affairs editor, Dominic Waghorn, spoke about a warning sent by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen regarding Donald Trump making a move on Greenland.
“She said if America makes a move in any way on Greenland, in a way that is not welcome, then that is the end of everything, that could be the end of NATO,” Waghorn says.
“Greenland doesn’t make fentanyl, it doesn’t produce cocaine, it’s not run by a crazy right-wing or left-wing dictator, it has no weapons of mass destruction,” Waghorn continues.
“It’s just that Donald Trump would like to have it, because he has this new kind of imperialistic view of what American foreign policy should be.”
Waghorn also points out that the US already has a military base on Greenland, and that it has the entitlement to add another.
Similar points were made by David Rennie, Geopolitics Editor at The Economist, during an appearance on Newsnight on Monday.