Donald Trump has posted a thinly veiled threat to Greenland on Truth Social, reigniting tensions after earlier this year threatening to take over the territory. The former US president shared a mocked-up image of himself peering over a Greenlandic town, captioned: 'Hello, Greenland!'
New US Consulate Opens in Nuuk
This weekend, a new American consulate opened in the Greenlandic capital Nuuk, with special envoy Jeff Landry making a trip to the semi-autonomous Danish territory. The move has sparked protests, with one demonstrator telling the BBC: 'Our message is for the American people and to the rest of the world. That in a democratic world, no means no.'
The US Ambassador to Denmark, Kenneth Howery, commented on the new consulate: 'The Arctic is clearly a region of global importance. We will always be neighbours and be with you into whatever future you choose as allies and partners.'
US Seeks Military Bases on Greenland
The post comes after the US lodged a bid earlier this month to open three new military bases on the territory. President Trump has never been shy about his desire to claim Greenland – a semiautonomous territory of Denmark – as his own. The White House has announced it has been engaged in 'high-level talks' with Denmark and Greenland about the bases.
The US proposal would see three additional military bases placed on the island, which would be designated as US sovereign territory, one source told the BBC. Trump has long claimed he needs additional US military support in the country to counter threats from Russia and China in the Arctic Circle.
Strategic Importance of Greenland
Greenland sits in a particularly contested area over which international powers, including China and Russia, have been jostling for military control. Controlling Greenland – or even having more military bases – would give a nation an outpost in a vital naval corridor connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic. As climate change melts the ice caps, the once nearly impossible-to-navigate ocean is becoming more accessible, opening new shipping routes.
Trump has been eyeing up the island since 2019, but he is not the first president to want control over it. The US has tried to buy Greenland twice, once in 1846 and again in 1946.
