If nothing is done in Greenland, Russia and China will take it over: Donald Trump

 If nothing is done in Greenland, Russia and China will take it over: Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has said that the United States needs to acquire ownership of Greenland to prevent Russia or China from occupying the island in the future.

According to Reuters news agency, President Donald Trump told reporters during a meeting with oil company executives at the White House on Friday that “we are going to do something about Greenland, whether anyone likes it or not.”

He said that “if we don’t do that, Russia or China will take over Greenland and we don’t want Russia or China to be our neighbors under any circumstances.”

President Trump made it clear that although the US already has a military presence in Greenland under a 1951 treaty, such agreements are not enough to guarantee the island’s defense.

“You defend ownership, not a lease,” he asserted. “We have to defend Greenland, and if we don’t, China or Russia will.”

The island of 57,000 is a sovereign territory under the Danish monarchy.

President Donald Trump and White House officials are reportedly considering various plans to bring Greenland under US control.

These plans include the possible use of the US military and the offer of large sums of money to Greenlanders to persuade them to secede from Denmark and become part of the United States.

However, leaders in Copenhagen and other European countries have viewed the US claim to Greenland with strong disapproval.

Denmark and the United States are NATO allies and have a mutual defense treaty, but recent statements have caused diplomatic tensions.

On Tuesday, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and Denmark issued a joint statement, making it clear that only the people of Greenland and Denmark have the right to decide the future of Greenland and its relations.