Denmark steps up defense of Greenland after Trump reiterates desire for US control

Hours after US President-elect Donald Trump reiterated his desire to buy the Arctic region, the Danish government has announced a huge increase in defense spending for Greenland.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the package was worth a “double-digit billion amount” in krone, or at least $1.5bn (£1.2bn).

He described the timing of the announcement as an “irony of fate”. On Monday, Trump said ownership and control of the vast island was an “imperative requirement” for the US.

Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, is home to a large US space facility and is strategically important for the US, lying on the shortest route to Europe. It has major mineral and oil reserves.

Poulsen said the package will allow for the purchase of two new inspection vessels, two new long-range drones and two additional dog sled teams.

It would also include funding to increase staff at Arctic Command in the capital Nuuk and upgrade one of Greenland’s three main civilian airports to handle F-35 supersonic fighter planes.

“We have not invested substantially in the Arctic for many years, now we are planning a stronger presence,” he said.

The Defense Minister did not give an exact figure for the package, but Danish media estimated it to be around 12–15 billion krone.

The announcement came a day after Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social: “For purposes of national security and liberty throughout the world, the United States feels that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede responds to Trump’s commentsSaying “We are not for sale”.

But he said Greenlanders should remain open to cooperation and trade, especially with their neighbors.

Analysts say the plan has been discussed for a long time and should not be seen as a direct response to Trump’s comments.

He says Denmark has so far been very slow to expand its military capability in Greenland, but that if the country is not able to protect the waters around the region against encroachment by China and Russia, the US may be in danger of taking more control. Demand is likely to increase.

Army Major Steen Kjaergaard of the Danish Defense Academy suggests that it may be Trump’s intention to pressure Denmark into taking such a step.

“This is likely to be triggered by Trump’s renewed focus on the need for air and sea control around Greenland and on internal development in Greenland, with some expressing a desire to look to the US for a new base in Nuuk. The international airport was inaugurated,” he told the BBC.

“I think Trump is smart… he took this voice to ask Denmark to prioritize its Arctic military capabilities, without any non- To take over the American welfare system.”

Trump’s original suggestion in 2019 that the US acquire Greenland, the world’s largest island, drew similarly sharp criticism from leaders there.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the time described the idea as “absurd”. Trump will cancel his state visit to the country,

He is not the first US President to suggest buying Greenland. The idea first surfaced in the 1860s under the leadership of Andrew Johnson.