US President Donald Trump said the United States needs to take over Greenland for “world peace,” as he doubled down on his ambitions to annex the strategically placed, resource-rich Danish territory, reports Al Jazeera.
“We are not talking about peace for the United States. We are talking about world peace. We are talking about international security,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Vice President JD Vance, his wife and other senior US officials visited an American military base in Greenland on Friday in a trip that was scaled back after an uproar among Greenlanders and Danes who were irked that the original itinerary was planned without consulting them.
Soon after arriving, Vance briefly addressed US troops stationed at the base as he and his wife sat down to lunch with them, saying that he’s “really interested in Arctic security” and that if the US did not take the lead in the region powers like China and Russia would.
“Our argument is not with the people of Greenland, who I think are incredible and have an incredible opportunity here. Our argument really is with the leadership of Denmark, which has underinvested in Greenland and has underinvested in its security architecture,” said Vance, who was also scheduled to receive briefings from military officials. “That simply must change. It is the policy of the United States that that will change.”
The revised trip to the semi-autonomous Danish territory comes as relations between the US and the Nordic country have soured after Trump repeatedly suggested that the United States should, in some form, control the mineral-rich territory controlled by Denmark – a traditional US ally and NATO member.
Friday’s one-day visit to the US Space Force outpost at Pituffik, on the northwest coast of Greenland, removed the risk of potentially violating diplomatic custom by sending a delegation to another country without an official invitation. It also reduced the likelihood of Vance and his wife crossing paths with residents angered by Trump’s announcements.
His delegation included the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, as well as second lady Usha Vance.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
