DONALD Trump is reportedly planning to hand out $10,000 to Greenlanders in a bid to take over the island from Denmark.
The Trump administration’s cash-flush charm offensive comes as the US, China and Russia are tussling to claim control over the Arctic region.
The Sun graphics Donald Trump is still adamant about buying Greenland but may have to make them an offer they can’t refuse[/caption]
APVice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance toured the U.S. military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland[/caption]
ReutersJD Vance speaks at the base, reiterating his boss’s claims that US control is needed[/caption]
Trump has sparked outrage after repeatedly claiming he wants to take control of Greenland, calling it “very important for the peace of the world”.
“We have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of ‘do you think we can do without it’ We can’t,” the President added.
He previously said he would “go as far as we have to go” to get control.
The president also suggested that he may use “force” to take over the island.
His repeated comments and refusal to deny plans to take it by force have seen its residents and politicians slam the administration and protest with signs saying their land is not for sale.
The US government is planning to replace Denmark’s $600million incentives to Greenland by providing a whopping $10,000 per year for each Greenlander, according to a report published by the New York Times.
Authorities in the Trump administration believe they would be able to recover all the money by extracting Greenland’s natural resources, which include rare earth minerals, copper, gold, uranium and oil.
Back in January, Trump’s national security advisor Michael Waltz told Fox News: “This is about critical minerals. This is about natural resources.”
It comes after Vice President JD Vance blasted Denmark for not keeping Greenland safe from the looming threats from China and Russia.
Donald Trump’s number two arrived in Greenland with his wife Usha for a controversial visit as the US plots to seize the strategic island from Denmark.
The pair are visiting Pituffik, a remote ice-locked US Space Force base in remote northwestern Greenland.
Vance told Space Force guardians at the base that Greenland’s security is under threat from Russia and China and “we must wake up to that”.
And he blasted Denmark for failing to keep the strategic Arctic island – which he said was America’s first line of defence – safe in a blistering attack during a heated press conference.
The VP then added that America needs to lead in the Arctic region security and protect its interests.
But he failed to rule out military force to take over Greenland – and seemed to have downplayed the potential move, saying it would “not be necessary”.
Vance added: “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not been able to keep it up.
“People in Greenland have an incredible opportunity here. It is far better to come under the US security umbrella than the Danish security umbrella.”
He suggested that the White House plans to wait for the people of the territory to vote for self-determination before acting.
Vance received a frosty reception on the frozen northern island over the last few days, with locals saying they don’t want him there.
Meanwhile, Trump said that Europe needs to understand his interest in Greenland.
He said that Greenland is “very important for the peace of the world”.
Trump added: “I think the European Union understands it, and if they don’t – we’re going to have to explain it.”
Danish PM Mette Frederiksen shot back against any chance of the island joining America.
She said: “Greenland is part of the Danish kingdom. That is not going to change.”
Greenland’s political parties on Friday formed a broad four-party government “to face the heavy pressure” from the US.
All four of the parties are pro-independence from Denmark but disagree over the time frame and don’t believe the island should become part of America.
The new PM said: “The whole situation of coming to visit when there is no government in place, we insist, is not showing respect for an ally.”
ISLE TAKE THAT!
EXCLUSIVE by Patrick Harrington, Foreign News Reporter
TRUMP could storm Greenland and claim it within 24 hours in the “world’s shortest war”, analysts have revealed.
If Trump did invade, America’s military might end the war in a day, politics professor Anthony Glees told The Sun.
Speaking to The Sun, Glees said Trump will be surrounded by “people who think he is great” – and it means he will be able to go ahead with any wild ideas he has.
Glees said: “In other words, we have to take him seriously.
“And if Trump wanted to take Greenland by force, he could do it in 24 hours.”
Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told Politico that “there is no defensive capacity in Greenland”.
And it means it would be “the shortest war in the world”.
The conflict would present an “unchartered” situation after the US entered a pact with Denmark in 1951 to defend Greenland against any attack.
The US has a nuclear base on the island that is constantly manned by troops.
Kristian Søby Kristensen, a military researcher at the University of Copenhagen, said: “Who would the Americans be fighting? Their own military?”
Glees said it was likely that, in the event of a US invasion, “there would be no military response to it because it is unthinkable that any Nato member would attack the US”.
ReutersProtesters gather with a sign that reads, “We are not for sale” on March 15, 2025[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
