During an interview, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly stated that President Trump’s desire to acquire the Arctic island of Greenland is serious and is based on national security concerns for both the United States and the rest of the world, in light of China’s interest in the region.
“But this is not a joke, like what he’s saying is pretty accurate. People have been talking about it for years. This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land. This is in our national interest, and it needs to be solved. President Trump’s put out there what he intends to do, which is to purchase it.” Rubio said.
Trump has publicly and privately expressed interest in acquiring Greenland in recent months. He previously stated that Denmark would eventually “come around” to the prospective sale of the planet’s largest island, which is abundant in rare minerals.
On January 15, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen engaged in a “heated” conversation with President Trump that escalated into a confrontation as the two deliberated on the president’s aspiration to acquire the island.
Rubio also stated that Denmark would be unable to deter China from conducting an attack on Greenland.
“I wasn’t privy to that phone call, but I imagine the phone call went the way a lot of these phone calls go, and that is, he just speaks bluntly and frankly with people. And ultimately, I think diplomacy, in many cases, works better when you’re straightforward, as opposed to using platitudes and language that translates to nothing.” Rubio said.
Denmark declared this week that it would significantly increase defense expenditures for the Arctic island by providing a $2 billion security package that includes new Arctic ships and long-range drones.
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