The Danish government on Thursday condemned what it called President Donald Trump’s escalated rhetoric and praised Greenland’s inhabitants for their resilience in the face of US pressure for control over the Arctic island.
Trump, while reiterating his desire to take over Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous Danish territory, told journalists on Wednesday that the US needs the strategically located island for national and international security.
“So, I think we’ll go as far as we have to go. We need Greenland and the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark,” he said.
Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen called Trump’s statements an escalation, saying the statements about a close ally do not suit the US president.
“I need to clearly speak out against what I see as an escalation from the American side. The tightened rhetoric is in every way far-fetched,” he said.
US Vice President JD Vance is set to visit the United States’ military base at Pituffik in northern Greenland on Friday.
However, an earlier plan for his wife Usha to visit a popular dog-sled race was called off amid local protests.