The proposal would be “great” for everyone involved if Denmark agrees, the US president has said
US President Donald Trump has said that a NATO-backed framework for US military use of Greenland is now on the table, following discussions with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Trump added that the proposal, which needs to be approved by Denmark, would be beneficial to the entire military bloc.
“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Trump renewed his push to acquire the autonomous Danish island. Speaking on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said the US was “stupid” to have returned control of Greenland to Denmark after World War II, and accused Copenhagen of being “ungrateful” in asserting its sovereignty.
Following his meeting with Rutte on the proposed framework, Trump dropped earlier threats to impose tariffs on European NATO members that opposed his bid.
According to media reports, Rutte proposed expanding the 1951 bilateral agreement that permits the US to operate a military base in northwestern Greenland. The plan would reportedly give the Pentagon access to additional facilities on the island, which would be treated as US-controlled territory, while American companies would receive fast-tracked rights to develop Greenland’s rare-earth resources without permit requirements.
Commenting on the dispute, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the issue does not concern Moscow. He added that the purchase of foreign territory is not unusual, noting that both the US and Denmark have made these types of deals before. Using the 1867 US purchase of Alaska from Russia as a benchmark for appraising Greenland, Putin remarked that America can easily afford the Danish island.
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