The White House refused to rule out military options Tuesday when it comes to fulfilling President Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland – an autonomous Danish territory – telling CNN on Tuesday the use of force as “always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”
White House aide Stephen Miller meanwhile questioned Denmark’s claim to Greenland during a Monday appearance on the news network.
Both statements come in the wake of earlier comments by Trump, in which he said “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security.”
They also follow a wave of global concern over what appears to be an imperialist new turn in Washington’s foreign policy. On Sunday, US special forces kidnapped Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, following a missile bombardment of Caracas. The couple are now in custody and will face trial in New York on US federal drugs and weapons charges.
In the wake of the attack, Trump boasted that the US now ran Venezuela, and levelled fresh threats against Colombia, Cuba and Mexico.
[See more: ‘Not a snowball’s chance in hell.’ Trudeau slams Trump’s ‘51st state’ suggestion]
Denmark is, along with the US, a member of NATO, whose charter stipulates that an attack on the territory of one member “shall be considered an attack against them all.” European leaders have warned that a US annexation of Greenland would mean the end of NATO.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark issued a statement on Sunday, demanding that the US “stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country.”
Washington is undeterred, however. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN that “President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region.”
Greenland is also known for its major deposits of strategically important rare earths, while Venezuela harbours the world’s largest reserves of oil.
