Ông Trump: Mỹ cần sở hữu Greenland, nếu không Nga và Trung Quốc sẽ làm

President Trump continues to escalate tensions with European allies, once again publicly stating he would not rule out the possibility of using force to gain control of Greenland.

President Trump at a White House meeting on January 9 - Photo: REUTERS

According to Bloomberg, speaking at the White House on January 9, President Trump declared that the US "will do something about Greenland, whether they like it or not," emphasizing that Washington is prepared to act "in a tough way" if an agreement is not reached.

"I want to get an agreement the easy way. But if we can't, we will do it the hard way," Trump replied when asked about the US intentions regarding Greenland.

The leader argued that controlling this resource-rich island is a matter of life and death for US national security, amidst increased military activity by Russia and China in the Arctic.

According to Trump, if Washington doesn't act, leading geopolitical rivals like Moscow and Beijing will seek to expand their influence there.

"We will not let Russia or China take Greenland and become our neighbor. That's what they will do if the U.S. doesn't act," he said.

Trump's tough statements have caused considerable concern in Denmark and many European allies, especially given that the U.S. already has a military base in Greenland and the two sides maintain long-standing security cooperation.

Earlier, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that if the U.S. attacked Greenland, it would end "everything"—referring to the collapse of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as the transatlantic security structure formed after World War II.

Many other European leaders have also called on Washington to respect Greenland's territorial integrity, emphasizing that the island is within the framework of NATO's collective security guarantees.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark - Photo: REUTERS

However, Mr. Trump downplayed those concerns, even though Denmark is considered a close ally and fought alongside the US in the 2003 Iraq War.

"I'm also a fan of Denmark. They've been very kind to me," the President said, before arguing that the fact that Danes set foot on Greenland 500 years ago "doesn't mean they own the land."

According to informed sources, Mr. Trump and White House officials have recently discussed various options to bring Greenland under US control.

Scenarios mentioned include the possibility of using US military force, as well as paying a large sum of money directly to the people of Greenland to persuade them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the US.

While President Trump has repeatedly hinted at the possibility of using force, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sought to de-escalate the situation. Mr. Rubio stated that Washington's goal remains to acquire the island of 57,000 inhabitants through negotiations.

According to plan, Mr. Rubio will meet with the Danish Foreign Minister and representatives of the Greenland government next week to discuss the island's future.