U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said the United States would move to take control of Greenland, arguing that ownership of the vast Arctic island was vital to American national security and necessary to counter growing Russian and Chinese influence in the region.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said Washington would act “whether they like it or not,” insisting that failure to do so could allow rival powers to gain a strategic foothold close to U.S. territory. “If we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor,” he said.
Trump suggested that financial terms were not yet central to his thinking. “I’m not talking about money for Greenland yet. I might talk about that,” he said, adding that the issue was first and foremost about security.
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and officials in Copenhagen and Nuuk have repeatedly stated that the island is not for sale, dismissing previous U.S. overtures.
The U.S. president nevertheless indicated that Washington was prepared to pursue its objective by forceful means if diplomacy failed. “I would like to make a deal, the easy way,” Trump said. “But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”
He also questioned Denmark’s historical claim to the territory. “The fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn’t mean that they own the land,” Trump said. “I’m sure we’ve had a lot of boats go there also.”
Asked why expanded U.S. military access would not be sufficient, Trump argued that ownership, rather than leasing or basing rights, was essential. “When we own it, we defend it. You don’t defend leases the same way. You have to own it,” he said.
Reiterating his warning, the president added: “We’re not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland… so we’re going to be doing something with Greenland either the nice way or the more difficult way.”
Greenland, which hosts a key U.S. military base and sits astride emerging Arctic shipping routes, has gained increasing geopolitical significance as climate change opens access to the region’s resources and sea lanes.
