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Trump said again on Friday that he would like to make a deal to
acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous region that’s part of NATO
ally Denmark, “the easy way.” He said that if the U.S. doesn’t
own it, then Russia or China will take it over, and the U.S.
does not want them as neighbors.
“If we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard
way,” Trump said, without explaining what that entailed. The
White House said it is considering a range of options, including
using military force, to acquire the island.
Greenland's party leaders reiterated that “Greenland’s future
must be decided by the Greenlandic people.”
“As Greenlandic party leaders, we would like to emphasize once
again our wish that the United States’ contempt for our country
ends,” the statement said.
Officials from Denmark, Greenland and the United States met
Thursday in Washington and will meet again next week to discuss
the renewed push by the White House for the control of the
island.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an
American takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO.
The party leaders' statement said that “the work on Greenland’s
future takes place in dialogue with the Greenlandic people and
is prepared on the basis of international laws.”
“No other country can interfere in this,” they said. “We must
decide the future of our country ourselves, without pressure for
quick decision, delay or interference from other countries.”
The statement was signed by Nielsen, Pele Broberg, Múte B. Egede,
Aleqa Hammond and Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen.
While Greenland is the largest island in the world, it has a
population of around 57,000 and doesn’t have its own military.
Defense is provided by Denmark, whose military is dwarfed by
that of the U.S.
It’s unclear how the remaining NATO members would respond if the
U.S. decided to forcibly take control of the island or if they
would come to Denmark’s aid.
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