ReutersThe Danish government has announced a huge increase in defense spending for Greenland, just hours after US President-elect Donald Trump reiterated his desire to buy the Arctic territory.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the package was a “tens of billions” in kronor, or at least $1.5 billion (£1.2 billion).
He described the timing of the announcement as an “irony of fate.” On Monday, Trump said ownership and control of the massive island was an “absolute necessity” for the United States.
Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, is home to a major U.S. space facility and is strategically important to the U.S. because it lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe. It has large mineral reserves.
Poulsen said the package would allow for the purchase of two new inspection vessels, two new long-range drones and two additional dog sled teams.
This includes funding to increase the Arctic Command’s staff in the capital Nuuk and modernize one of Greenland’s three largest civilian airports to handle F-35 supersonic fighter jets.
“We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years, now we are planning a stronger presence,” he said.
The defense minister did not give an exact figure for the package, but Danish media estimated it at around 12 to 15 billion crowns.
The announcement came a day after Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social: “For the purposes of national security and freedom around the world, the United States of America believes that ownership and control of Greenland are an absolute necessity.”
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede responded to Trump’s commentswith the words: “We are not for sale”.
However, he added that Greenlanders should remain open to cooperation and trade, especially with their neighbors.
Analysts say the plan has been discussed for a long time and should not be seen as a direct response to Trump’s comments.
So far, Denmark has been slow to expand its military capabilities in Greenland, they say, but if the country is unable to protect the waters around the area from encroachment by China and Russia, US demands for greater control are likely to increase .
Army Major Steen Kjaergaard of the Danish Defense Academy suspects that Trump’s intention may have been to pressure Denmark to take such a step.
“The trigger for this is likely Trump’s renewed focus on the need for air and sea control around Greenland and internal developments in Greenland, with some expressing a willingness to look to the US – a new international airport in Nuuk has just been inaugurated. ” he told the BBC.
“I think Trump is smart… he’s getting Denmark to prioritize its military capabilities in the Arctic by raising its voice without having to adopt a very un-American welfare system,” he added, citing Greenland’s heavy reliance on subsidies from Copenhagen.
Trump’s initial proposal in 2019 that the U.S. acquire Greenland, the world’s largest island, drew a similarly sharp rebuke from leaders there.
At the time, Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen described the idea as “absurd.” Trump cancels a state trip to the country.
He is not the first US president to propose purchasing Greenland. The idea was first discussed in the 1860s under the presidency of Andrew Johnson.
