The saga of President Donald Trump’s quest for a new relationship with Greenland continues.
To recap events since Trump’s win on November 5th, he tasked his pick for Ambassador to Denmark with persuading the Danes to sell The United States the resource-rich Arctic land.
Shortly after that announcement, Greenland suffered a major power outage caused by a downed transmission line. The blackout plunged the region into darkness as temperatures dropped below -27° F (-33°C).
Soon after Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede called for independence from Denmark, marking a significant shift in the rhetoric surrounding the Arctic island’s future.
Trump’s son later made an “unofficial” visit to Greenland. At that time, I speculated that persuading the people of Greenland to become an independent territory of the United States might be the best deal that could be placed on the table.
Egede appeared at a joint press conference alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, during which he said that he’s ready to speak with Trump as ‘the status quo is no longer an option.’
Frederiksen later had a 45-minute call with Trump, asserting that Greenland should determine its independence.
This is where events begin to get interesting: It’s just beginning to dawn on Danish leaders Trump is very serious about partnering with Greenland in a new relationship —one that may not involve Denmark.
The Danish PM was reportedly upset that Trump wasn’t dropping his plans to partner with Greenlanders as part of his strategic Arctic vision. The mainstream press and European elites are playing it up as if Trump’s thuggish approach is damaging our relationship with Denmark.
Donald Trump insisted he was serious in his determination to take over Greenland in a fiery telephone call with Denmark’s prime minister, according to senior European officials…..Five current and former senior European officials briefed on the call said the conversation had gone very badly.They added that Trump had been aggressive and confrontational following the Danish prime minister’s comments that the island was not for sale, despite her offer of more co-operation on military bases and mineral exploitation.“It was horrendous,” said one of the people. Another added: “He was very firm. It was a cold shower. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous.”
A Danish Member of the European Parliament was bold enough to indulge his Trump Derangement Syndrome over the issue.
MEP Anders Vistisen, a member of the right-wing Danish People’s Party, addressed Trump’s efforts at an EU session in Strasburg, France.”Dear President Trump, listen very carefully: Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It is an integrated part of our country. It is not for sale,” Vistisen said.Appearing to cue into the American president’s occasional salty language, Vistisen said he would put his remarks in “words you might understand.”
So, how is all this drama and posturing working out for the Danes?
The day after Trump’s inauguration, Greenland’s Egede indicated his government is working to arrange a meeting with Trump.
Asked if Greenland had conveyed the message that it is not up for grabs directly to Trump, Egede said his government was trying to set up a meeting with the U.S. leader to do just that.“That’s what we’re working on,” Egede said. “You can’t get around the fact that if they [the U.S.] want to talk about Greenland, they have to talk to Greenland.”Such a meeting could be held in the next few days, said Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, who joined Egede at the press conference.
And our new Secretary of State is now in contact with Denmark to open discussions focused on Arctic Security.
Denmark agreed on Friday to discuss the Arctic region with Washington, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said, after his first phone call with the top diplomat of the administration of President Donald Trump, who wants control of Greenland.Rasmussen and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a 20-minute conversation in a “good and constructive tone”, discussing Ukraine, European security and the situation in the Middle East, the Danish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.The State Department said late on Friday that Rubio had “reaffirmed the strength of the relationship” between the two countries in the call.
Interestingly, Greenland’s plans for independence from Denmark seem a little farther along than the mainstream media or the European elites would have us believe.
Finally, Trump indicates he is going to get a Greenland deal done.
President Donald Trump has said he believes the US will gain control of Greenland, after showing renewed interest in acquiring the autonomous Danish territory in recent weeks.”I think we’re going to have it,” he told reporters on Air Force One on Saturday, adding that the island’s 56,000 residents “want to be with us”.
Stay tuned for more developments in Trump’s quest for a new deal with Greenland.
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