“Easy Way or Hard Way”: Trump Vows Action on Greenland, Warns Russia Or China Will Step In Otherwise
US President Donald Trump on Friday renewed his insistence that the United States must secure control of Greenland, stating that Washington would act—with or without agreement to prevent Russia or China from gaining influence over the territory.Speaking to reporters during a meeting with senior oil and gas industry leaders, Trump challenged Denmark’s historical claim to Greenland, arguing that a ship landing there centuries ago does not establish permanent ownership.When pressed on the issue, Trump said, “We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbour. I would like to make a deal the easy way but if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”He described himself as a “fan of Denmark,” noting that the country had treated him well, but maintained that a 500-year-old landing does not confer ownership.
He pointed to current military activity around the island, saying Russian destroyers, Chinese destroyers, and Russian submarines were already present in the area.Trump argued that the US needs outright ownership for proper defence, rather than the existing military presence. “When we own it we defend it. You don’t defend leases the same way.
You have to own it. Countries have to have ownership and you defend ownership. You don’t defend leases,” he said, adding that NATO must recognise this reality. He reiterated that he had “saved” the alliance and remained supportive of it.The President warned that without US action, Russia or China would occupy Greenland.His remarks have triggered sharp criticism from Denmark and Greenland.
Danish authorities have stated that their forces are instructed to “shoot first and ask questions later” in the event of any attack on the territory.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rejected Trump’s assertion that the US requires Greenland for security, describing the pressure as unacceptable. Asked about the implications of the US using force against a NATO ally, she said, “If the US attacks another NATO country, everything stops,” while emphasising full European backing for respecting international borders.Greenland, a resource-rich semi-autonomous Danish territory with significant deposits of rare earth minerals, uranium, and iron, has long been viewed by Washington as strategically vital. Trump’s latest statements follow the recent US military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the seizure of President Nicolas Maduro.In 2019, during his first term, Trump proposed buying Greenland, an offer firmly rejected by Denmark as the island was “not for sale.”Drawing a parallel with Venezuela, Trump said that without decisive US intervention there, Russia or China would have moved in.
During the same exchange with reporters, Trump criticised wind energy, declaring that no new windmills had been approved during his administration and that none would be. He called them expensive, landscape-destroying, bird-killing, and largely manufactured in China for “suckers” like Europe and the pre-Trump United States. He suggested Europe should question China’s own reliance on coal, oil, gas, and nuclear power instead of wind.
The comments came shortly after Trump signed a memorandum directing US withdrawal from dozens of international bodies deemed contrary to American interests. The White House said the move covers 35 non-UN organisations and 31 UN entities, including the India- and France-led International Solar Alliance, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Energy Forum, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.
