Politics

NEW: Greenland Leader Is ‘Ready’ To Meet With Trump As Acquisition Talks Intensify

Published

3 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede said he is “ready” to talk with President-elect Trump, who has recently doubled down on his intention to purchase the island territory from Denmark. Egede has previously stated that Greenland is “not for sale,” though he also announced recently that the territory would be seeking independence from Denmark. Such a move could eventually lead to a territorial merger with the United States for the resource-rich island.

Egede traveled to the Danish capital of Copenhagen over the weekend to meet with Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. During an address, Frederiksen stated that she is seeking a meeting with Trump after previously stating that the territory is not for sale. While attending a joint-press conference with the Danish prime minister on Friday, Egede was asked whether he is keeping in touch with the president-elect. He said that he was not, though he did add that Greenland is “ready to talk” with Trump.

“Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic,” he added.

Egede meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken

President-elect Trump has increased focus on acquiring Greenland due to what he has referred to as “vital national security concerns” in recent weeks. A U.S. military base Greenland plays an integral role in detecting rockets and missiles launched by U.S. adversaries like China and Russia, both of whom have been attempting to expand their influence on the North American territory in recent years.

Located on the northwestern coast of Greenland, Thule Air Base is the U.S. military’s northernmost base and the only installation north of the Arctic Circle. It is home to the 12th Space Warning Squadron and conducts 24/7 missile detection using space surveillance and a massive AN/FPS-132 radar, according to a report from Defense News. “In the case of the Russian launch, it was an advertised launch, and so information about the number of payloads and the launch location and intended orbit were published,” said Major Jason Bullock, the 12th SWS’ operations officer, in a 2019 interview.

The base’s position on the globe provides its radar systems with 240 degrees of coverage, which makes it an ideal location to track ballistic missiles and satellites in low-earth orbit. On any given day, the base tracks hundreds of satellites, including dozens of “high interest objects” that are intently observed due to country of origin, payload or mission, Bullock explained.

During a lengthy press conference on Tuesday, the president-elect reiterated that acquiring Greenland and expanding U.S. territory is a vital national security goal. “Well, we need Greenland for national security purposes. I’ve been told that for a long time, long before I even ran. I mean, people have been talking about it for a long time,” Trump told reporters.

“You have approximately 45,000 people there. People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it. But if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security. That’s for the free world. I’m talking about protecting the free world. You look at, you don’t even need binoculars. You look outside, you have China ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We’re not letting that happen.”

In recent days, Denmark has been communicating with Trump’s team in hopes of setting up a formal meeting with the president-elect. The European nation has signaled openness to talks about fortifying the island’s security and ramping up a U.S. Military presence on the island, according to a report from Axios. The Danish government is reportedly hoping to convince Trump that U.S. national security goals can be met without a formal acquisition of the island, one European diplomat with knowledge of the situation told the outlet.

Incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News that acquiring Greenland is a top priority for Trump despite protests from the Danish government.“Well, look, this is not just about Greenland. This is about the Arctic. You have Russia that is trying to become king of the Arctic with 60-plus icebreakers, some of ‘em nuclear-powered. [Do you know] how many we have, Jesse? We have two, and one just caught on fire,” the Florida Republican told Fox News host Jesse Watters.

“This is about critical minerals,” he added. “This is about natural resources. This is about, as the polar ice caps pull back, the Chinese are now cranking out icebreakers and pushing up there as well. So, it’s oil and gas. It’s our national security. It’s critical minerals.”