Denmark vows to defend Greenland after Trump reiterates US should control territory

By Fox News · Fox News

Greenland is "not for sale," Denmark’s prime minister said Wednesday, vowing to defend the Danish territory after President Donald Trump again said the United States should control the Arctic island for NATO defense. Denmark is "ready to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory," Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey , adding she would call on NATO allies to honor their commitment to defend each other. "We hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenland people's right for self-determination," she continued. "And we are sovereign states and we need everybody to respect our territorial integrity and our sovereignty. "Greenland is of course not for sale." TRUMP MAKES FRESH GREENLAND PLAY AFTER XI TALKS AS CHINA’S ARCTIC AMBITIONS LOOM Trump continues to stress that Greenland "is very important" for the U.S. but not for Denmark, declaring, "We need it for protection of the world, not just the United States." Also, Denmark is coming up short in its support for Greenland, which remains a strategic target for both Russia and China. "That's what hurt my relationship with NATO," Trump said Tuesday of the refusal to grant his request for annexation of the strategic land. "Denmark doesn't spend money to really help Greenland, but it's an important part for the United States. And it's surrounded by China ships and Russian ships." GREENLAND TALKS ON ‘GOOD TRAJECTORY,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS AMID TRUMP TAKEOVER PUSH For global security, Greenland "should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark," Trump added. "They wouldn't go along with it," Trump lamented. "And with all the money we spend to help them with Russia. And we don't have to spend any money, we could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe because, as you probably noticed, Europe is a very different place than it was 20 years ago. A lot different." Greenland is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally . Trump’s push for U.S. co…