United States President Donald Trump has re-asserted his desire for Washington to take control of Greenland, in advance of a controversial planned visit to the Danish autonomous territory by Vice President JD Vance.
“We need Greenland for international safety and security. We need it. We have to have it,” Trump said in an interview on Wednesday.
“I hate to put it that way, but we’re going to have to have it,” he said.
Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has repeatedly insisted he wants to take control of Greenland for national security purposes.
Trump has refused to rule out the use of military force to bring the Arctic territory under Washington’s control, despite it being ruled by NATO-ally Denmark for six centuries.
“We have to have that land because it’s not possible to properly defend a large section of this Earth, not just the United States, without it,” Trump said.
“It’s an island that from a defensive posture, and even offensive posture, is something we need, especially with the world the way it is, and we’re going to have to have it,” he said.
Located between North America and Europe, Greenland is of geo-strategic importance at a time of rising US, Chinese and Russian interest in the Arctic.
The territory also holds massive untapped mineral and oil reserves – though exploration is currently banned – that could significantly shift the dynamics of global trade.
Asked by the interviewer if he thought Greenlanders were eager to join the US, Trump said he did not know, but “we have to convince them”.