President Donald Trump has said the United States (US) is seeking to take control of Greenland because of its critical strategic importance to American and global security.
He argued that neither Denmark nor the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is capable of defending the vast Arctic territory against emerging global threats.
He said this during his presentation at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
Trump said Greenland occupies a central geopolitical position between the United States, Russia and China, making it a key security asset at a time of rising missile, nuclear and advanced weapons risks.
“I have tremendous respect for both the people of Greenland and the people of Denmark, tremendous respect. Every NATO ally has an obligation to be able to defend its own territory.
“And the fact is, no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland, other than the United States,” Trump said.
Pinnacle Daily reports that NATO is a military alliance formed in 1949 to protect the interests of North American and European member countries.
The president of the world superpower pointed to historical precedent, recalling that Denmark was unable to defend Greenland during World War Two after falling quickly to Nazi Germany.
He said the US stepped in at great cost to prevent enemy forces from gaining a foothold in the Western Hemisphere.
“We saw this in World War Two, when Denmark fell to Germany after just six hours of fighting and was totally unable to defend either itself or Greenland.
“So, the United States was then compelled… to send our own forces to hold the Greenland territory and hold it,” Trump said.
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According to him, the US established military bases on the island and defended it not only for Denmark’s benefit but also for its own national security interests.
“We fought for Denmark. We weren’t fighting for anyone else. We were fighting to save it for Denmark,” he said. “After the war, which we won… we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that?”
The US President further argued that global risks today are far greater than they were in the mid-20th century.
He cited advances in missile technology, nuclear weapons and modern warfare systems, noting that recent global conflicts have exposed weaknesses in defence systems produced by rival powers.
“So now, our country and the world face much greater risks than they ever did before,” Trump said, adding that Greenland remains “a vast, almost entirely uninhabited and undeveloped territory sitting undefended in a key strategic location.”
While acknowledging discussions around Greenland’s mineral resources, including rare earth elements, he stressed that economic considerations were not the primary motivation.
“That’s not the reason we need it,” he stressed. “We need it for strategic national security and international security.”
He described Greenland as part of North America’s northern frontier and said protecting it aligns with the longstanding US policy to prevent external threats from entering the Western Hemisphere.
“It is therefore a core national security interest of the United States of America,” Trump said.
He maintained that American presidents have sought to acquire Greenland for nearly two centuries.
He also criticised Denmark for failing to meet defence commitments, noting that despite pledges made in 2019 to strengthen Greenland’s security, only a fraction of the promised funding was spent.
Trump insisted that US control of Greenland would strengthen, not weaken, NATO and European security, arguing that the US remains the alliance’s primary security guarantor.
“It’s the United States alone that can protect this giant mass of land… and make it so that it’s good for Europe and safe for Europe and good for us,” he said.
He added that the US is seeking immediate negotiations to discuss the acquisition of Greenland, describing the move as consistent with historical territorial expansions and essential to maintaining security in an increasingly unstable global environment.
Alex is a business journalist cum data enthusiast with the Pinnacle Daily. He can be reached via ealex@thepinnacleng.com, @ehime_alex on X
