‘We need that for international security’: Trump about annexing Greenland

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday declared that the United States needed to annex Greenland for ‘international security’.

Trump made the assertion during a meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on March 10, Trump said that Greenland could join the US if they wanted and supported the autonomous territory’s right to determine its future.

‘As I made clear during my Joint Address to Congress, the United States strongly supports the people of Greenland's right to determine their own future. We will continue to KEEP YOU SAFE, as we have since World War II. We are ready to INVEST BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to create new jobs and MAKE YOU RICH -- And, if you so choose, we welcome you to be a part of the Greatest Nation anywhere in the World, the United States of America!’ he reportedly stated.

Expressing hope for annexing Greenland, Trump on Thursday said: ‘Well, I think it'll happen. And I'm just thinking, I didn't give it much thought before, but I'm sitting with a man that could be very instrumental’.

Afterwards turning to Mark Rutte sitting beside him, Trump added: ‘You know, Mark, we need that for international security, not just security, international. We have a lot of our favourite players, you know, cruising around the coast, and we have to be careful. And we'll be talking to you.’

Mark Rutte, however, distanced from getting NATO entangled in Trump’s ambitious expansionist interests, while acknowledging the growing presence of China and Russian in the Artic.

‘When it comes to Greenland, yes or no joining the US, I would leave that outside, for me, this discussion because I don't want to drag NATO in that, Rutte was quoted as saying.

Afterwards, Rutte made it clear that ‘The Chinese are now using these routes. We know that the Russians are rearming. We know we have a lack of icebreakers. So, the fact that seven outside Russia, there are seven Arctic countries working together on this under US leadership. It's very important to make sure that that region, that part of the world, stays safe, and we know things are changing there, and we have to be there.’

After months of pushing for US acquiring Greenland, Trump on January 20 did not rule out a potential military action to take over Greenland.

Back then, when asked whether the US use military or economic coercion to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, he said: No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this -- we need them for economic security’.