Trump does not rule out military force to take Greenland and the Panama Canal

2025-01-07 19:47:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Trump does not rule out military force to take Greenland and the Panama Canal

President-elect of the USA, Donald Trump

President-elect Donald Trump did not rule out using military force to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland during a news conference on Tuesday, saying US control of both is vital to US national security.

In a press conference just two weeks before taking office on January 20, Mr. Trump left open the possibility of using the U.S. military to secure control over the two territories.

"I can't promise," he said, when asked if he would rule out the use of the military. "It happens that we will have to do something. The Panama Canal is of vital importance to our country."

Then he added that "we need Greenland for national security purposes". Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a traditional ally of the United States and one of the founding states of NATO.

Mr. Trump also talked about the possibility of Canada joining the United States. He said that for such a thing he would not rely on military force, but on "economic force".

Meanwhile, the eldest son of US President-elect Donald Trump is visiting Greenland on Tuesday as part of a private visit, fueling speculation that the new US administration will aim to take over the Danish territory, rich in minerals.

The Danish state broadcaster announced that the plane of Donald Trump Jr. reached Nuuk, the capital of the vast and icy territory, which has 57,000 inhabitants. Local media broadcast footage of him walking the snow-covered track.

The government of Greenland said in a statement that Mr. Trump Jr. He is there on "a private visit" and that it is not an official visit, announcing that representatives of Greenland will not meet with him. Greenland is an autonomous territory that is part of Denmark.

Permanent Secretary at Greenland's Department of Foreign Affairs, Mininguaq Kleist, told the Associated Press news agency that authorities had been notified that Mr. Trump Jr. would be there for four or five hours.

Neither did Mr. Trump Jr.'s delegation. nor did Greenlandic government officials request a meeting, according to Mr. Kleist.

But despite this, the visit has political overtones.

The territory in the Arctic is an area of ??strategic importance for the United States, China, Russia and others.

The world's largest island, Greenland lies between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and 80 percent of its territory is covered with ice. There is a large US military base there.

"I'm hearing that the people of Greenland are 'MAGA' (the initials of the slogan 'Make America Great Again.') My son, Don Jr. and various representatives will be going there to visit some of the most wonderful parts" President-elect Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Monday night.

"Greenland is an amazing country and the residents will benefit greatly if and when it becomes part of our state," Mr Trump wrote. "We will protect him and save him from a dangerous world. MAKING GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”

Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede has called for independence from Denmark, stressing in his New Year's speech that independence would be a way to break free from its colonial past. But Prime Minister Egede also said he is not interested in Greenland becoming part of the United States, insisting the island is not for sale.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday that Greenland's future will be decided by Greenlanders and called the United States Denmark's most important ally.

Denmark's King Frederik X is reasserting his country's rights to Greenland and the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago between Iceland and Norway in the northern Atlantic Ocean.

Last month, the king changed Denmark's coat of arms to include parts representing Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland is represented by a silver bear with a red tongue. The royal proclamation emphasized that since 1194, the royal coat of arms "has symbolized the legitimacy and sovereignty of the state and the monarch."

"We are all united and each one of us is devoted to the Kingdom of Denmark ... as far as Greenland," the king said in his New Year's address.

During his first term, the US President-elect had mentioned the purchase of Greenland, which gained the right to self-rule from Denmark in 1979. Mr Trump canceled a planned visit to Denmark in August 2019 after the Danish prime minister rejected down this idea.

Mr. Trump revived the topic last month when he announced the appointment of the U.S. ambassador to Denmark, writing: "For reasons of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America feels that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity".

His eldest son, Don Jr., is an important figure in his father's political movement and is part of the president's transition team, which selects members of the next White House administration.