US President-elect Donald Trump indicated he wants Greenland under U.S. control as he named PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as his pick for United States ambassador to Denmark on Sunday, Axios reports, UNN writes.
Details
Trump said during his first administration that he was exploring the possibility of the US buying Greenland and canceled a state trip to Denmark after Danish officials said the autonomous territory, which is part of their kingdom, was not for sale.
"For the purposes of national security and freedom around the world, the United States of America believes that possession and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," Trump said in a statement to Truth Social.
"Ken will do an excellent job of representing the interests of the United States," he added about Howery.
Representatives of both Trump and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment this evening.
Trump made his latest statements on Greenland after earlier in the weekend demanding that Panamanian authorities reduce fees for American ships to transit the Panama Canal or return control of it to the United States.
Addendum
The United States has considered or attempted to buy Greenland, the world's largest island that is not a continent, several times since 1867.
Greenland is part of the continent of North America, but has close geopolitical ties to Europe and has received EU funding as it is classified as an overseas territory linked to the bloc through Denmark.
The territory has access to the Arctic, where there is a race between countries for resources in a region that, according to research, is already experiencing the effects of climate change.
In recent years, Russia has been trying to claim territory in the Greenland Exclusive Economic Zone.
Greenland's natural resources include gold, silver, copper, and uranium, and it is believed that the waters off the coast of the territory have significant oil potential.