After meeting with NATO, Trump claims to negotiate expanded control over Greenland

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated this Thursday (22) that his government is negotiating an agreement to obtain “full access” to Greenland, an autonomous territory linked to the Kingdom of Denmark. The statement was given in an interview with the Fox News network, one day after meetings with NATO officials, and comes amid reactions from the local government, which rejects any negotiations involving sovereignty.

According to Trump, the talks are ongoing and have no set deadline for completion. He avoided detailing the terms of the proposal, but returned to defending the incorporation of the island as part of a strategic US national security project, citing the region’s importance for air defense and control of the Arctic. According to the president, Greenland would be a central piece for the creation of a defense system he called the “Golden Dome”, inspired by the Iron Dome used by Israel.

In an interview with presenter Maria Bartiromo, Trump stated that the island’s geographic position makes it strategic in a possible conflict scenario. According to him, any threat launched against North American territory would pass through the region. The Republican also said that similar ideas had already been discussed during Ronald Reagan’s administration, but that, at the time, the necessary technology did not yet exist.

The statements were made after Trump spoke at the World Economic Forum, in Davos, on Wednesday (21). At the time, he again mentioned his interest in Greenland, but stated that he does not intend to use military force to annex the territory. Later, in a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the president said that there had been progress in an understanding between the United States and the military alliance on the Arctic and the island.

According to information from The New York Times, the proposal discussed includes the transfer of areas of Greenland for the installation of North American military bases. The United States already maintains a military presence in the territory and has authorization to act in the region in security-related situations.

Hours after Trump’s speeches, Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, stated that he is open to deepening cooperation with the United States, but made it clear that the territory’s sovereignty is not up for negotiation. According to him, any attempt to transfer political or territorial control represents a “red line” for the local government.

Nielsen praised the North American president’s willingness for dialogue and recognized the United States’ strategic interest in the region, but reiterated that Greenland will not accept giving up its autonomy. The position was reaffirmed after Trump indicated that he had reached an understanding with the NATO secretary general on the future of the territory, which generated immediate reactions from the Greenlandic government.