Trump-Greenland latest: President insists US needs territory ahead of White House meeting with ministers – UK Times

A purchase of Greenland by the United States could cost as much as $700 billion, according to a report.

The estimate was created by former U.S. officials and scholars, with three sources giving the information to NBC News.

The huge cost is more than half of the Defence Department’s annual budget.

However, officials in Greenland have repeatedly rejected the idea of a purchase of the island by the U.S.

“We can’t see it, we can’t recognize it and we can’t understand it,” Jess Berthelsen, chair of SIK, Greenland’s national trade union confederation, told The Guardian.

Donald Trump has reiterated his call for a U.S. take over of Greenland, in a fresh Truth Social post ahead of the meeting.

The president has claimed that seizing the island is vital for an American “Golden Dome” missile defense system.

“It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it,” he raged. “IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

“Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent – Not even close! They know that, and so do I, he continued. “NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES.”

“Anything less than that is unacceptable,” he added.

Marco Rubio reportedly hopes that the US will buy Greenland, instead of annexing it, according to reports.

The U.S. Secretary of State made the remarks to lawmakers from the main armed services and foreign policy committees in both the House and the Senate, according to the New York Times.

Concerns were allegedly raised by committee members after Donald Trump’s action actions Venezuela, which saw him abducting the country’s president, as fears that he may take over Greenland continue to grow.

However, Rubio reportedly thinks that the U.S. will purchase Greenland, although he did not go into detail about what he meant.

European leaders have rallied behind Greenland, as the island’s foreign minister jets to Washington to meet with JD Vance.

France has announced plans to open a consulate on the island, which President Emmanuel Macron hopes will send a “political signal” that the country is eager to strengthen its ties to Europe.

“Greenland does not want to be owned, governed… or integrated into the United States. Greenland has made the choice of Denmark, Nato, (European) Union,” he added, while speaking to AFP reporters.

Meanwhile, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has warned that aggressive U.S. action could put NATO in uncharted waters.

“The least we can say is that it would be a real unprecedented situation in the history of Nato and in the history of any defence alliance in the world,” he said at a press conference.

Donald Trump has raged against the Greenlandic Prime Minister after he expressed his nation’s wish to remain as part of Denmark.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, he reiterated his own wish to take control of the island.

“I disagree with him. I don’t know who he is. I don’t know anything about him,” Trump seethed. “But, that’s going to be a big problem for him.”

That has led many to question why Trump needs to control the island directly in order to protect it.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen says that his country will be ramping up its military operations in Greenland.

Speaking to the AFP news agency, he said that the country was in an “ongoing dialogue” with its allies over new military activity which could begin this year.

“We will continue to strengthen our military presence in Greenland, but we will also have an even greater focus within Nato on more exercises and an increased Nato presence in the Arctic,” he added.

The Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told reporters that Greenland “does not want to be owned by the US.”

Speaking alongside Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, he said that his nation chooses to remain as part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

JD Vance visited Greenland in March last year, shortly after taking office as vice president.

At the time, Trump had begun repeating his now-familiar desire to take control of Greenland.

Vance’s largely unwelcome visit was part of an alleged effort to emphasise that the island had the right to “self-determination,” with the vice president noting that he hoped they would choose to join the United States.

However, during his visit, Vance remained on Pituffik, the United States’ military base on the island. He did not meet any of the island’s 57,000 residents, according to DW.

His visit was originally slated to be led by Usha Vance, his wife, before he joined the trip.

Vice President JD Vance will host the crunch-time meeting with Greenland and Denmark’s Prime Ministers today.

The showdown in Washington comes as tensions between Europe and the United States continue to soar, as Donald Trump ramps up his attempts to take control of the mineral rich island.

However, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has repeatedly reiterated that the US will not being given control over the island.

”One thing must be clear to everyone: Greenland does not want to be owned by the US, Greenland does not want to be governed by the US, Greenland does not want to be part of the US,” he told reporters, ahead of the talks. “We choose the Greenland we know today, which is a part of the Kingdon of Denmark.”