US President-elect Donald Trump is serious about trying to acquire Greenland both to expand America's sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere and to strengthen his legacy, citing three sources familiar with his thoughts, Reuters reports, UNN writes.
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The Republican said on Tuesday that he would not rule out using military or economic action to acquire Danish overseas territory after taking office on January 20, stunning European allies concerned about maintaining inviolability of borders at a time of growing global instability.
While Trump briefly mentioned the possibility of acquiring Greenland during his first term, his recent comments emphasize that his desire is a deep-seated ambition, not a fleeting fantasy, the newspaper writes.
One person briefed on internal talks with Trump told Reuters that "the former real estate developer is unlikely to use military force to gain control of Greenland.
"However, Trump is serious about using other means, such as diplomatic or economic pressure on Denmark, to acquire the world's largest island that is not a continent," the person said.
"The real legacy is that you have expanded the United States," this person said. - "In literally 70 years, we haven't added a single property to the portfolio. He talks about that a lot.
In 1959, two U.S. territories, Alaska and Hawaii, became the 49th and 50th states under Republican President Dwight Eisenhower.
Another Trump associate said that he had seen the list of foreign policy priorities drawn up by Trump's top officials after he won the November 5 presidential election. One of them immediately caught his eye: "Buying Greenland.
Trump portrayed the potential acquisition of Greenland as a national security imperative.
Denmark responded to Trump's comments by saying that Greenland is not for sale. Denmark has controlled Greenland for hundreds of years, although its 57,000 people now run their own internal affairs.
Trump's advisers said they expect a shift in US foreign policy resources and attention to the Americas under the new Trump administration. Trump is suspicious of the influence of China and Russia in what he sees as essentially America's backyard, according to two Trump advisers who have been involved in planning policy toward Latin America.
Three current and former Trump associates familiar with his thinking said that Trump is also interested in territorial expansion as a means of creating a lasting legacy that will be remembered for generations.
"Every decision that President Trump makes is in the best interests of the United States and the American people," Trump's spokeswoman, Carolyn Leavitt, said in a statement to Reuters. - "That's why President Trump has drawn attention to legitimate national security and economic concerns about Canada, Greenland and Panama.