The Danish government is reportedly committing more than $1 billion in defense spending to protect Greenland as President-elect Donald Trump continues expressing interest in acquiring the massive island.
Denmark’s Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish outlet Jyllands-Posten Tuesday that it’s “ironic” the spending package was announced shortly after Trump called U.S. control of Greenland “an absolute necessity” in a social media post announcing his new ambassador to Denmark.
“We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years,” Poulsen explained. “Now we are planning a stronger presence.”
Denmark’s investment in defense is expected to buy new inspection ships, long-range drones and dog sled teams, according to the BBC. A civilian airport will also reportedly be upgraded to support F-35 supersonic fighter jets.
Trump first floated the idea of adding Greenland to the United State’s real estate portfolio when he was president in 2019. Officials in Denmark and Greenland scoffed at the idea of parting with the semi-autonomous territory that’s home to more than 50,000 people and rich with minerals.
They don’t seem to have warmed up to the idea in the years that have passed.
“We are not for sale and will never be for sale,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede said in a statement Monday.
President Harry Truman expressed interest in paying the equivalent of $1.4 billion for a deal involving Greenland shortly after World War II due it its North Atlantic and Arctic geopolitical importance. The U.S. established a military base in the the area around that time.
Trump has also referred to Canada as a U.S. state and expressed interest in taking control of the Panama Canal since being elected last month.
With News Wire Services
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