BRUSSELS — Donald Trump’s threat to take over Greenland is being met with a determined reaction from Denmark’s military, which is spending at least €4 million on 750,000 pairs of wool socks, the thickest of which are toasty enough to be used in Greenland.
The sock order dates from last May, predating Trump’s recent ambitions on Greenland, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark. The four-year contract is worth at least €4 million, but it could go reach €10.5 million, Finnish sock-maker Sukkamestarit said.
The merino socks are made in five different models, the thickest of which are also suitable for the Arctic conditions of Greenland, reported Finland’s Yle newspaper.
Trump has said that taking control of Greenland is an “absolute necessity” — warning about Chinese interest in the region and also noting the island’s mineral wealth — and he has refused to rule out using military force to take it.
NATO chief Mark Rutte tried on Monday to defang the threat from the U.S. president by offering to let NATO secure the Arctic territory, potentially by stationing more alliance troops there. U.S. soldiers are already based there.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has been touring European capitals to drum up diplomatic support to fend off Trump.
Denmark said last month that it would spend 14.6 billion krone (€2 billion) to beef up its Arctic defenses and “improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty in the region,” according to the defense ministry.
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