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Fuente de la imagen, Getty Images
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- Autor, Paulin Kola
- Título del autor, BBC
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Tiempo de lectura: 5 min
The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump has been considering a range of options for acquiring Greenland, including the potential use of military force.
The possibility of a U.S. takeover of the Danish territory has emerged as a significant point of international contention, raising questions about sovereignty and geopolitical strategy in the Arctic region.
According to a statement released by the White House, the acquisition of Greenland is considered a “national security priority.”
This follows repeated statements by Trump over the weekend asserting that the United States “needed” Greenland, a self-governing territory of NATO member Denmark, for security reasons.
The White House’s statement came hours after European leaders voiced their support for Denmark, whose Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that any aggressive move by the United States would effectively end the NATO alliance.
On Tuesday, the White House elaborated, stating, “The President and his team are reviewing various options to achieve this important foreign policy objective, and of course, the use of the United States Armed Forces is always an option available to the Commander in Chief.”
Earlier in the day, six European allies had united to publicly back Denmark.
“Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relationship,” leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark said in a joint statement.
Fuente de la imagen, Reuters
The discussion surrounding Greenland’s future resurfaced following the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, where American troops captured President Nicolás Maduro and transported him to New York to face charges related to drugs and weapons.
Following the January 3rd incursion, Trump stated that the United States would “govern” Venezuela for an unspecified period.
He also asserted that the U.S. would return to an 1823 policy of American dominance in its sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere, warning several countries that Washington might turn its attention to them.
Fuente de la imagen, Marko Djurica / Reuters
“PRONTO”
The U.S. military intervention in Venezuela has fueled concerns that Washington might consider using force to secure control of Greenland.
Hours before, Katie Miller, wife of a top Trump advisor, posted a map of Greenland colored with the American flag, alongside the word “PRONTO” on social media.
On Monday, her husband, Stephen Miller, stated that it is “the formal position of the U.S. government that Greenland should be part of the United States.”
In an interview with CNN, Miller pointed out that the United States “is the power of NATO.”
“For the U.S. to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously Greenland should be part of the U.S.,” he said.
When repeatedly asked whether the United States would rule out the use of force to annex it, Miller responded, “Nobody is going to fight the United States over the future of Greenland.”
Underscoring their shared interest in Arctic security, the seven European signatories of Tuesday’s joint statement said this must be achieved by NATO allies, including the U.S., “collectively,” while “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, welcomed the European statement and called for a “respectful dialogue.”
“Dialogue must take place with respect for the fact that Greenland’s status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity,” Nielsen stated.
Opposition in Greenland
Trump has argued that integrating Greenland into the United States would serve U.S. security interests due to its strategic location and abundance of minerals crucial to high-tech industries.
The recent decision by the Trump administration to appoint a special envoy for Greenland sparked outrage in Denmark.
With a population of 57,000, Greenland has enjoyed extensive self-government since 1979, although defense and foreign policy remain the responsibility of Denmark.
While polls show a majority of Greenlanders favor eventual independence from Denmark, they also reflect overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the United States.
Morgan Angaju, a 27-year-old Inuit from Ilulissat in western Greenland, told BBC Newsbeat that it was “scary to hear the leader of the free world laughing at Denmark and Greenland, and just talking about us as if we’re something to claim.”
“We are already claimed by the Greenlandic people. Kalaallit Nunaat means the land of the Greenlandic people,” Angaju said.
He added that he is worried about what might happen next, wondering if Greenland’s Prime Minister could suffer the same fate as Maduro, or even contemplating the possibility of a U.S. “invasion of our country.”
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