PARIS (Reuters) – Current US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday criticized President-elect Donald Trump’s interest in taking control of Greenland, saying it was “obviously not a good” idea and that it will not happen .
Trump on Tuesday reiterated his interest in taking control of Greenland, an autonomous territory from Denmark, and refused to rule out the possibility of using force to take control of the vast Arctic island. He said the US needs Greenland for national security reasons.
“I think one of the basic propositions that we have brought to our work over the last four years is that we are stronger, more effective and get better results when we work closely with our allies, without saying or doing things that might alienate them,” Blinken told reporters at a news conference in Paris with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
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“The idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one, but perhaps more importantly, it’s obviously an idea that’s not going to happen, so we probably shouldn’t spend too much time talking about it.”
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Denmark’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that Greenland could become independent if its residents wanted, but it was unlikely to become a US state.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, has signaled that he will pursue a foreign policy without getting bogged down in diplomatic niceties, also refusing to rule out military or economic action as part of his stated desire to have the US regain control of the Canal. of Panama and to launch the idea of transforming Canada into a State of the United States.
In 2019, Trump postponed a scheduled visit to Denmark after Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rejected his idea of the U.S. buying Greenland, which was a Danish colony until 1953 and is now a semi-sovereign territory under Danish rule.
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Greenland, which is part of NATO as a member of Denmark, is strategically important to the US military and its ballistic missile early warning system, as the shortest route from Europe to North America passes through the Arctic island. .
Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede declared that the island is not for sale and, in his New Year’s speech, intensified the call for independence.
