Denmark spends $2 billion to defend the Arctic after Trump wants to buy Greenland

Denmark has announced it will spend more than $2 billion to boost its military capabilities in the Arctic after US President Donald Trump expressed interest in the country's Greenland territory in the region.

The Danish Ministry of Defense announced on January 27 that it would spend 14.6 billion kroner ($2.05 billion) to strengthen its military capabilities in the Arctic region, according to CNN. The spending package aims to "improve surveillance capabilities and maintain sovereignty in the region," including the semi-autonomous territory of Greenland.

"At the same time, supporting allied and NATO efforts in the Arctic and North Atlantic is essential to strengthening overall security and defense," the Danish Defense Ministry said in a statement.

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As part of the spending package, Denmark will build three new naval ships to operate in the Arctic, two long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of monitoring large areas, and increase its ability to participate in basic military training in the Arctic.

“We face the fact that there are serious security and defense challenges in the Arctic and the North Atlantic,” said Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. “For this reason, we must increase our presence in the region. That is the goal of this agreement, which paves the way for further initiatives this year,” he added.

A Danish patrol boat

PHOTO: ROYAL DANISH NAVY

Danish Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt added that "Greenland is facing a changing security landscape".

Denmark’s decision to spend on defense in the Arctic comes amid renewed speculation by US President Donald Trump about buying Greenland, saying it is “absolutely necessary” to control the vast island that hosts a US military base. Both Greenland and Danish leaders have said Greenland is not for sale.

EU leaders also affirmed that there is no negotiation on the sovereignty of Greenland. When asked whether the EU should negotiate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of its member state Denmark, EU Commissioner for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas said: "No, we are not negotiating on Greenland. Of course, we are supporting our member state Denmark and its autonomous region, Greenland."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-mach-chi-2-ti-usd-phong-thu-bac-cuc-sau-khi-ong-trump-doi-mua-greenland-18525012808040666.htm