Trump has once again stated his intention to bring Greenland under US control and has threatened to withdraw troops from Europe
US President Donald Trump has once again stated his intention to bring Greenland under US control and has raised the possibility of withdrawing American troops from Europe. He made these remarks during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on the eve of the NATO summit.
“We could withdraw all our troops from Europe. As before, I believe that Greenland should be under US control, not Denmark’s,” Trump said.
The publication notes that the US president’s desire to establish control over the Danish Arctic island remains one of the greatest challenges for NATO’s future. Earlier this year, his statement about the possible establishment of control over Greenland, including through the use of force, caused tension within the Alliance and strained relations between the US and its European allies.
Trump also linked his remarks to his dissatisfaction that European allies, in his words, had not provided sufficient support to the US during the war with Iran.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated back in February that, following talks involving NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump had backed down from his earlier threats; however, in her view, the crisis had not been fully resolved.
According to the Financial Times, the US, Denmark and Greenland have been holding technical-level talks since January, though the newspaper’s sources claim that no tangible progress has been made.
During his speech, Trump also stated that the very issue of Greenland had influenced his attitude towards NATO.
“That is what has damaged my relationship with NATO, because Greenland does not help Denmark. Denmark does not spend money to really help Greenland, but it is a very important part for the United States,” said the US president. He also reiterated his claim that the territory around the island is surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships.
NATO has not issued an immediate comment on the US President’s remarks.
According to the Financial Times, there are currently around 80,000 US troops stationed in Europe. NATO allies regard their presence as one of the key elements of the continent’s defence and a guarantee that the United States will fulfil its alliance commitments.
Last month, US Defence Secretary Pete Hagseth announced a six-month review of the US military presence in Europe. In May, the Pentagon also announced its intention to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany and to cancel the planned deployment of a battalion equipped with long-range weapons, including Tomahawk missiles.
Trump stated that during the conflict with Iran he had “tested” the readiness of European allies to support the US.
“I was testing whether they would stand by us, because I’ve been saying for a long time that we help them, but I’m not sure they would help us,” he said.
According to the US President, Italy and Germany refused to support Washington.
“Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars, yet they don’t support us? We’ve always stood by them,” Trump added.
He also noted that he was “very disappointed with NATO” and suggested that he might not have attended the summit had it not been held in Turkey.
