Trump warns Russia and China won’t take Greenland control on his watch

President Donald Trump warned Friday, during a meeting with nearly two dozen oil executives, that Russia and China would not intervene in Venezuela or Greenland under his leadership.

“We’re going to do something to Greenland whether they like it or not,” Trump said Friday. “Because if we don’t, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we won’t have Russia or China as neighbors.”

Trump’s comments came as he hosted nearly two dozen oil executives at the White House to discuss investments in Venezuela following the capture of dictatorial President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday morning.

“We don’t want to have Russia there,” Trump said Friday of Venezuela when asked if the country appeared to be a U.S. ally. “We don’t want to have China there. And, by the way, we don’t want Russia or China to go to Greenland, which, if we don’t take Greenland, you can have Russia or China as your immediate neighbor. That’s not going to happen.”

SENATE SPEAKER JOHN FETTERMAN SUPPORTS PROSPECT OF US PURCHASE OF GREENLAND, CITING “MASSIVE STRATEGIC BENEFITS”

President Trump has ramped up his rhetoric about the United States acquiring control of Greenland in an effort to strengthen national security. (Carsten Snejbjerg/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump added that he would like to make a deal with Denmark, saying that “if we don’t do it the easy way, we’ll do it the hard way.”

Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

“And, by the way, I’m a fan of Denmark too, I have to tell you. … But, you know, just because they had a boat there 500 years ago doesn’t mean they own the land. I’m sure a lot of boats went there too,” he said.

The U.S. military carried out a successful operation in Venice on Saturday morning, capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on broad charges of narcoterrorism conspiracy and drug trafficking.

The operation was quickly followed by Trump’s establishment “anyone who threatens American sovereignty or endangers American lives. Trump has for years hinted that the United States would acquire Greenland because of its strategic position between North America and Europe in the Arctic Circle, and he was pressed to revisit such plans after the Venezuela operation.

Both countries are also rich in resources, including oil and rare earths. Trump defended his desire to own Greenland even though the United States already has a military presence on the island, saying: “When we own it, we defend it.”

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“We need Greenland for a national security situation. It’s so strategic. Right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships everywhere,” Trump said from Air Force One on Sunday as he returned to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

China has demonstrated growing ambition in the Arctic, including issuing its first white paper on Arctic policy in 2018, when it called itself a “near-Arctic state.” Greenland played a central role during the Cold War, as it was on the shortest routes between North America and the Soviet Union and carried out missile detection.

President Donald Trump used the phrase “no one is above the law” against Democratic Gov. Tim Walz after top Minnesota lawmakers announced he would not run for re-election. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“If you look outside of Greenland right now, there are Russian destroyers, Chinese destroyers and larger destroyers. There are Russian submarines everywhere. We’re not going to let Russia or China occupy Greenland, and that’s what they’ll do if we don’t. So we’re going to do something with Greenland, either the nicest way or the hardest way,” he added.

Trump told media on Sunday that “we will worry about Greenland in about two months,” but global discussions around the Danish territory have intensified since then.

European leaders, including those in Denmark, have backed away from Trump’s calls to acquire Greenland, arguing that NATO allies are working together to ensure Arctic security.

This map shows Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, as well as Denmark and the United States. (AFP via Getty Images)

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Security in the Arctic must be “achieved collectively, in collaboration with NATO allies, including the United States, respecting the principles of the United Nations Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. These are universal principles and we will not stop defending them,” the top leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said in a joint statement.

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“Greenland belongs to its people. It is up to Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to decide matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

Trump added Friday that “NATO has to understand” that “we’re not going to allow Russia or China to occupy Greenland, and that’s what’s going to happen if we don’t.”