Donald Trump reiterated his threat to take control of Greenland in an interview with a US magazine on Sunday.
Trump said in a phone call with a reporter from The Atlantic that what the invasion of Venezuela means for US policy in Greenland – a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark – was open to interpretation. He was asked about a press conference he gave on Saturday after capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
“You know, I wasn’t referring to Greenland at that time. But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence,” Trump said.
Trump’s new national security strategy, however, stresses the importance of pushing European nations to take “primary responsibility” for their own defence.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press conference on Saturday that Washington’s capture of Nicolás Maduro showed the importance of taking Trump at his word.
“When he tells you that he’s going to address a problem, he means it, he actions it,” Rubio said.
The US angered Brussels and Copenhagen by appointing an envoy to Greenland before Christmas.
Greenland, Denmark slam Trump staffer’s wife for endorsing annexation
Denmark and Greenland each made their displeasure known on Sunday after the wife of President…
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Nicoletta Ionta and Magnus Lund Nielsen contributed reporting.
(cp)