By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald J. Trump still believes the U.S. would take control of Greenland, despite a “horrendous” call with Denmark’s prime minister and demands by Russia to split the world’s largest island.
In comments monitored by Worthy News on Sunday, Trump said: “I think we’re going to have it,” adding that the Arctic territory’s 57,000 residents “want to be with us,” suggesting they could become American citizens.
His latest comments follow a “horrendous” phone call with the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, during which Trump was allegedly aggressive and confrontational in his attempt to buy the island.
“It was horrendous,” said one of the sources. “It was a cold shower,” another told the Financial Times newspaper. “Before, it was hard to take seriously, but I do think it is serious and potentially very dangerous.”
Trump reportedly threatened Denmark, a NATO military alliance ally, with targeted tariffs, essentially taxes on Danish exports to the United States.
The Danish prime minister’s office said it did “not recognise the interpretation of the conversation given by anonymous sources”.
Greenland’s prime minister, Múte Egede, who wants independence from Denmark, has said the territory is not for sale but is open for closer ties with the U.S. in areas such as mining.
NO US CITIZENS?
Writing on social media platform X, the chair of the Danish parliament’s defense committee, Conservative Parliamentarian Rasmus Jarlov, said Denmark would never hand over 57,000 of its citizens to become Americans against their will. “We understand that the U.S. is a powerful country. We are not. It is up to the U.S. how far they will go. But come what may. We are still going to say no.”
Strategically located between the U.S. and Europe, Greenland is a potential geopolitical battleground: Climate-change-fearing scientists have linked “the rapid melting of the island’s huge ice sheets and glaciers” to interest in oil drilling and mining for essential minerals, including copper, lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
Although Greenland stopped granting exploration licenses in 2021, observers say the reportedly melting Arctic ice is also opening up new shipping routes.
That route is becoming an alternative to the Suez Canal, while the Panama Canal is reportedly seeing less traffic due to severe drought.
Since the Cold War, Greenland has also been home to a US military base and its ballistic missile early warning system.
Earlier, the Kremlin indirectly suggested that it was prepared to split Greenland with Trump. Russian Lieutenant-General Andrey Gurulev, a hardline pro-Putin legislator who is seen as a Kremlin propagandist on television, said, “At worst, Trump can agree to cut Greenland into a couple of parts.”
OFFERING GREENLAND MONEY
Ice-capped Greenland is an autonomous territory and part of the Kingdom of Denmark – but Trump has declared his hope to buy it for the United States.
Moscow could do the same, suggested Gurulev. “Why can’t we bring a few boxes stuffed [with money] and close this issue once and for all?” Gurelev.
He also set his sights on Spitsbergen which is sovereign Norwegian territory but which Russia exercises rights under the Svalbard Treaty of 1920 to conduct economic activities such as mining.
There is a Russian consulate on the Arctic island in Barentsburg, the world’s northernmost diplomatic mission.
The island is demilitarised under international agreement. Gurulev said Russia should overturn this.
“Today, Spitsbergen, which is in the underbelly of our Northern Fleet, is extremely important to us. I think that we should move from joint development to Russian options, and there will be very good bases there, influencing the entire Arctic” area.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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