Denmark accuses Trump of escalating tensions over Greenland

Denmark on Thursday expressed its strong reservations over US President Donald Trump's recent remarks on Greenland, accusing Washington of escalating tensions and interfering in Denmark's internal affairs.

“The US is escalating the tensions,” Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR. “I think they are going too far – both in interfering in Greenland's internal affairs and in showing a lack of respect for its people's right to decide their future.”

His response comes after Trump told podcaster Vince Coglianese on Wednesday that the US “needs” Greenland “for international safety and security.”

“We have to have the land because it's not possible to properly defend a large section of this Earth – not just the US – without it. So we have to have it, and I think we will have it,” he said.

Lund dismissed the remarks as “far-fetched and unreasonable,” warning that Trump's rhetoric was becoming increasingly aggressive and amounted to a “hidden threat” against the Danish Realm, which consists of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

“These statements are not fitting for an American president, nor for a close ally like Denmark,” Lund added.

- Greenland issue

Greenland, the world's largest island, has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark since the 18th century and was granted home rule in 1979.

Situated between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, it is rich in minerals and strategically located.

Both Denmark and Greenland have rejected any proposal to sell the territory. A survey conducted in January found that 85% of Greenland's population opposes joining the US.

Recently, Greenland's Prime Minister-elect Jens-Frederik Nielsen urged European countries to stand with the territory, asserting that it is not for sale.

“Stand with us and make clear that Greenland is not and will never be for sale. Greenland is run by the Greenlandic people, and that will never change,” Nielsen told Anadolu.