President Donald Trump said Greenland “should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” as revisited the contentious topic at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday.
Doubling down on his pressurecampaign to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory, Trump lashed out at NATO allies’ opposition to his ambitions.
“That’s what hurt my relationship with NATO, because Greenland doesn’t help Denmark,” Trump said during a press conference alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the United States, and it’s surrounded by China ships and Russian ships,” he argued.
“They [Denmark] wouldn’t go along with it, and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia, and we don’t have to spend any money. We could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe,” he continued. “Because as you’ve probably noticed, Europe’s a very different place than it was 20 years ago.”
Greenland’s positioning between the U.S., Russia, and Europe makes it a strong geopolitical asset, and Trump has long argued that Denmark cannot be relied upon to protect the island from Russian and Chinese interests.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who has previously denounced Trump’s reasoning, reiterated her stance at the summit later in the day.
“It is a well known position of the United States that it wants to own and take over Greenland. I hope that it is equally well known everywhere that this is not going to happen,” she said, according to Reuters.
Trump alienated European leaders in January last year when he threatened to impose a 25% tariff on the U.K. and other allies, until Denmark relented and sold the territory of Greenland. The threat, which he later walked back, prompted outcry and was described by incumbent British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as “completely wrong.”
The threat was also condemned in the U.S., with several Republican lawmakers criticizing Trump’s attempt to use economic pressure to yield results.
Amid the tussle over Greenland and strained relations, Trump even threatened to withdraw the U.S. from the NATO alliance.
Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that conversations with Denmark and Greenland were continuing on a monthly basis.
Relations between Trump and NATO have deteriorated further since the Iran war, with the President accusing allies of failing to support the U.S. after many refused to allow American forces to use joint military bases for offensive strikes.
Ahead of the summit, Trump argued it would be “ridiculous” for the U.S. to continue its current level of support for NATO “when the relationship is not reciprocal.”
He has repeatedly argued that the U.S. spends significantly more on defense than its allies, while receiving little in return.
Despite announcements that European allies alongside Canada have increased their spending, Trump reiterated his “disappointment” with NATO on the first day of the summit.
Tensions remain high, as the U.S. is drawing down its deployment of troops in Europe. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month announced a review of U.S. troops in Europe, as he scolded NATO allies over their “shameful” response to the Iran war.
Trump says U.S. will lift sanctions on Turkey, signals openness to sell F-35 fighter jets
President Trump struck a markedly different tone when discussing Erdogan, describing the Turkish President as one of his close international partnersafter they shared a bilateral meeting.
When reporters asked Trump if the U.S. would be lifting restrictions preventing Turkey from purchasing and helping manufacture F-35 stealth fighter jets—a ban imposed during his first term after Ankara acquired Russia’s S-400 air defense system—he expressed an openness to the idea.
“It’s a decision we’re going to make, we have a very good relationship,” Trump said. “Why wouldn’t we do that, have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal, so something certainly we would consider.”
Later in the press conference, Trump said the sanctions would be lifted, clearing the way for potential future F-35 sales.
“I can tell you, we’re going to be taking the sanctions off,” Trump said. “We’re going to be taking the sanctions off. It’s time to do that. Okay, you don’t want to sanction friends. It’s very simple.”
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois struck an optimistic tone about the prospect of Turkey rejoining the F-35 program, saying he believes the two countries have reached a point where the jets can be supplied without compromising U.S. security.
“There’s been a lot of discussion, and a lot of back and forth. I trust that we’ve reached a point where we can deal with Turkey on the F-35s, and do it with confidence that it won’t in any way impact our own security,” he said.
But the decision is likely to be met with resistance from some international U.S. allies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued Monday that Turkey should not “be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets, because that’ll upset the power balance in the Middle East.”
The post Trump Says Greenland ‘Should Be Controlled by the U.S.’ as He Criticizes NATO Alliance at Summit appeared first on TIME.
