US DISCUSSING OPTIONS TO ACQUIRE GREENLAND, INCLUDING USE OF MILITARY, SAYS WHITE HOUSE
US President Donald Trump has been discussing “a range of options” to acquire Greenland, including use of the military, the White House said.
In a statement, the White House told the BBC that acquiring Greenland was a “national security priority”.
It comes after Trump repeated over the weekend that the US “needed” Greenland, a semi-autonomous region of fellow Nato member Denmark, for security reasons.
The White House statement was also issued hours after European leaders rallied behind Denmark, whose Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, warned on Monday that any attack by the US would spell the end of Nato.
The White House said on Tuesday: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief’s disposal.”
Nato is a trans-Atlantic military group where allies are expected to go to each other’s aid in case of external attacks.
On Tuesday, six European allies backed Denmark in a joint statement.
“Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations,” the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark said.
Stressing they were as keen as the US in Arctic security, the European signatories of the joint statement said this must be achieved by Nato allies, including the US “collectively”.
They also called for “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”.
BBC