Danish Foreign Minister: The Greenland issue has not disappeared

Trump criticized America's European allies as arrogant, untrustworthy, and insufficiently grateful in his speech. He also believes that EU countries have made policy mistakes in many areas, including wind energy, the environment, immigration, defense, and geopolitics. However, he calmly stated that he would not use force to obtain Greenland. He said, "People think I will use force, but I don't need to use force, I don't want to use force, and I won't use force."

Recalling the history of World War II when the United States helped it gain liberation from Nazi Germany's control, Trump called Denmark "ungrateful" in his speech and described the sovereignty issue of Greenland and Denmark as a "small request" for a "piece of ice." He also claimed that acquiring Greenland would not pose a threat to the NATO alliance, including Denmark and the United States.

Trump insisted, "No country or group of countries other than the United States has the capability to ensure Greenland's security. I am seeking immediate negotiations to discuss the issue of the United States acquiring Greenland again." During a speech lasting more than an hour, Trump repeatedly mistakenly referred to Greenland as Iceland.

Trump calmly reflected on the fact that the United States actually administered Greenland after World War II. He said that the United States had made great efforts for Greenland and its allies, and that giving up the status of administrator now seemed regrettable. His words implied how much America's allies relied on American help, only to show no gratitude. He even said multiple times, "We wanted a piece of ice to protect the world, but they wouldn't give it to us." His subtle yet sharp conclusion was: Allies can choose: it is best to agree to give Greenland to the United States, otherwise, the United States will keep a record of this.

Trump refused to specify what kind of agreement he envisioned with Denmark regarding the future status of Greenland. In an interview after the speech, when asked about what kind of agreement he hoped to reach with Copenhagen, Trump said, "We'll see."

French media have speculated that Trump's remarks seem to imply that since the United States did so much for Europe in the past, Europeans should now be grateful by giving Greenland to the United States; otherwise, he might take revenge.

Before Trump arrived to deliver his speech, several NATO European allies warned that if Trump attempted to seize Greenland, it could undermine the NATO alliance. The French presidential palace also suggested that it was willing to contribute to military exercises in Greenland for NATO, while Danish and Greenland leaders provided various plans for the United States to expand its presence on this strategically important island with a population of 57,000.

On Tuesday, U.S. and European stock markets fell sharply. On Wednesday, Trump took the opportunity to comfort the international financial community, assuring them that the prosperity of the U.S. economy would bring hope to the world.

Regarding Trump's speech at Davos, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told the media in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, that "it is positive" just based on Trump's statement about not using force on Greenland, "but this does not make the issue disappear."

He said that after Trump's speech, "it is clear that the president's ambition remains unchanged."

Not long after, after 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday in France, Trump suddenly announced through the media that a framework agreement had been reached on Greenland and Arctic security issues, and the United States would abandon its request to increase tariffs on products exported to eight European countries. However, for the EU, Trump's concession does not mean he has given up his claim to Greenland's sovereignty.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1855007537649674/

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