Donald Trump says he believes the US will ‘get Greenland’

President Donald Trump said he believes the United States will take control of Greenland, after showing renewed interest in acquiring the self-governing Danish territory in recent weeks.

“I think we’ll get it,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, adding that the island’s 57,000 residents “want to be with us.”

His comments come after reports that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen insisted Greenland was not for sale in a fiery phone call with the president last week.

Trump floated the possibility of purchasing the vast Arctic territory during his first term in 2019, and said US control of Greenland was an “absolute necessity” for international security.

“I think people want to be with us,” Trump said when asked about Al Jazeera in the press room aboard Air Force One.

He added: “I don’t really know what Denmark’s demand for this is, but it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn’t allow this to happen because it’s to protect the free world.”

“I think we’re going to get Greenland because it’s about freedom in the world,” Trump continued.

“It has nothing to do with the United States except that we can provide freedom. They cannot.”

Despite Trump’s apparent confidence, the prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark have previously said the island is not for sale.

Greenland’s Prime Minister, Miot Egede, said that the use of the territory’s lands is “Greenland’s business,” although he expressed his willingness to do so. Work more closely with the United States in defense and mining.

Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen said earlier this month that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and that only local people can determine its future.

Frederiksen reiterated her position during a heated 45-minute phone conversation with Trump last week. According to a report by the Financial Times.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed European official as saying that the conversation was “horrific,” and another said that Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland was “serious, and perhaps very dangerous.”

The Danish Prime Minister reportedly insisted that the island was not for sale, but noted “strong US interest” in it.

Greenland is located on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategically important to the United States. It is also home to a large American space facility.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in Greenland’s natural resources, including the extraction of rare earth minerals, uranium and iron.

Although the island has widespread autonomy, it remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

But there is a general consensus in Greenland that it will eventually become independent, which could pave the way for a new kind of relationship with the United States.

President Trump’s claim that the people of Greenland “want to be with us” may come as a surprise to some islanders.

A fishing boat captain in the Kapsilet settlement He told the BBC Trump was “welcome to visit” the island, but “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”

Kalerak Ringsted, an elder of the local church, said Trump’s language was “unacceptable,” adding that “Greenland is not for sale.”

there Several ways Trump can pursue his desire to control the region. When asked earlier in January whether he could rule out the use of military or economic force, Trump said he could not.

His latest comments have shocked the Danish political establishment, prompting hastily organized high-level meetings in Copenhagen. Earlier this month.