13 hours ago
4
Reuters
Greenland has large mineral and lipid reserves
The Danish authorities has announced a immense boost successful defence spending for Greenland, hours aft US President-elect Donald Trump repeated his tendency to acquisition the Arctic territory.
Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the bundle was a "double digit cardinal amount" successful krone, oregon astatine slightest $1.5bn (£1.2bn).
He described the timing of the announcement arsenic an "irony of fate". On Monday Trump said ownership and power of the immense land was an "absolute necessity" for the US.
Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, is location to a ample US abstraction installation and is strategically important for the US, lying connected its shortest way to Europe. It has large mineral and lipid reserves.
Poulsen said the bundle would let for the acquisition of 2 caller inspection ships, 2 caller long-range drones and 2 other canine sled teams.
It would besides see backing for accrued staffing astatine Arctic Command successful the superior Nuuk and an upgrade for 1 of Greenland's 3 main civilian airports to grip F-35 supersonic combatant aircraft.
"We person not invested capable successful the Arctic for galore years, present we are readying a stronger presence," helium said.
The defence curate did not springiness an nonstop fig for the package, but Danish media estimated it would beryllium astir 12-15bn krone.
The announcement came a time aft Trump said connected his societal media level Truth Social: "For purposes of National Security and Freedom passim the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and power of Greenland is an implicit necessity."
Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede responded to Trump's comments, saying "we are not for sale".
But helium added that Greenlanders should proceed to beryllium unfastened for practice and trade, particularly with their neighbours.
Analysts accidental that the program has been nether treatment for a agelong clip and should not beryllium seen arsenic a nonstop effect to Trump's comments.
Until present Denmark has been precise dilatory to grow its subject capableness successful Greenland, they say, but if the state is not capable to support waters astir the territory against encroachments by China and Russia past US demands for greater power are apt to grow.
Army Maj Steen Kjaergaard of the Danish Defence Academy suggests it whitethorn person been Trump's volition to unit Denmark into specified a move.
"It is apt to beryllium sparked by the renewed Trump absorption connected the request for aerial and maritime power astir Greenland and the interior developments successful Greenland wherever immoderate are voicing a volition to look towards the US – a caller planetary airdrome successful Nuuk was conscionable inaugurated," helium told the BBC.
"I deliberation Trump is smart… helium gets Denmark to prioritise its Arctic subject capabilities by raising this voice, without having to instrumentality implicit a precise un-American payment system," helium said, referring to Greenland's dense dependence connected subsidies from Copenhagen.
Trump's archetypal proposition successful 2019 that the US get Greenland, which is the world's largest island, led to a likewise crisp rebuke from leaders there.
At the clip Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederickson described the thought arsenic "absurd", starring Trump to cancel a authorities travel to the country.
He is not the archetypal US president to suggest buying Greenland. The thought was archetypal mooted during the 1860s nether the presidency of Andrew Johnson.
English (US)