Trump threatens tariffs on countries opposing Greenland acquisition

US President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on countries opposing the US acquisition of Greenland, which he deems crucial for national security. Denmark and NATO allies have refused, while Russia has criticized the West's 'rules-based order'.

US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on countries opposing Washington's plans to acquire Greenland for "national security" reasons. "I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security," he said. Trump has repeatedly asserted that Greenland is important to safeguard the US from Russia and China's presence in the Arctic Ocean, and has demanded that the Kingdom of Denmark sell the self-governed territory. However, Denmark and other NATO allies have refused to cede the territory to the US, with France, Germany and other European countries sending their troops to Greenland to help boost the security.

'A Big Hole in National Security'

Earlier, speaking to the reporters on the South Lawn, Trump emphasised the necessity of acquiring Greenland and also talked about the US's military power, citing their recent operations in Venezuela and Iran. "NATO has been dealing with us on Greenland. We need Greenland for national security very badly. If we don't have it, we have a big hole in national security, especially when it comes to what we're doing in terms of the Golden Dome and all of the other things," he said. "We have a lot of investments in the military. We have the strongest military in the world, and it's only getting stronger. And you saw that with Venezuela. You saw that with the attack on Iran, with the knocking out of their nuclear capabilities," he added.

Russia Calls Out West's 'Failure'

Russia, which has maintained that it has no intention of acquiring Greenland, called out the West over the recent development for its "failure" to maintain a rule-based International order. In a post on X, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia quoted Zakharova as saying, "Current tensions over Greenland sharply expose the failure of the West's so-called 'rules-based international order'. It is plainly visible that Copenhagen's long-standing policy of unconditional subordination to the US is fundamentally flawed."

Denmark to Boost Military Presence

On Wednesday, Denmark said it plans to increase its military presence in Greenland after the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers met with White House representatives in Washington DC, to discuss Trump's intentions to take over the semiautonomous Danish territory to tap its mineral resources amid rising Russian and Chinese interest. But the meeting could not budge US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance from their stance, as per Al Jazeera. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)