The United States made previous offers to purchase Greenland, first in 1867 and again in 1946.
President-elect Donald Trump said on Dec. 22 that U.S. control and ownership of Greenland is “an absolute necessity” for “national security and freedom throughout the world.”
His comments came as he announced PayPal co-founder and former Trump administration U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Ken Howery as his nominee for U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark.
The Epoch Times has reached out to Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Greenland for comment.
The United States made previous offers to purchase Greenland, first in 1867 and again in 1946 under President Harry Truman. Denmark declined each time.
The former Danish colony is strategically located about halfway along the shortest route from Europe and Russia to North America. It relies on Denmark for its defense, possessing no military of its own to monitor its 27,000 miles of coastline.
It currently hosts the Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, in its remote northwest. The compound supports personnel from Denmark, Canada, Greenland, and the U.S. Space Force and its space surveillance activities. The base also hosts an Upgraded Early Warning Radar system that is critical for monitoring intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches from locations such as Russia, the Middle East, or even North Korea and China if their missiles cross the Arctic.
In recent years, a republican movement in Greenland has been advocating for establishing the island as its own sovereign state and severing ties with the Danish monarchy, although most believe it’s not viable without Danish financial support, which pays for more than half of its public budget. A draft constitution was unveiled in June 2023. Independence of the former Danish colony would come from a referendum in Greenland and the approval of the Danish Parliament, which is scheduled for an election in April 2025.
Over the past decade, efforts to diversify the local economy and expand mineral mining, oil and gas exploration, and tourism have made Greenland increasingly economically dependent on China.
According to Chinese state media reports, Beijing considers Greenland a critical and strategic part of its Arctic ambitions, given Greenland’s close proximity to Arctic shipping lanes and rich mineral resources, including uranium and rare earths.
In 2019, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) outlined to the public its ambitions for a “Polar Silk Road,” an extension of its Belt and Road initiative. It sought to develop more shipping lanes through the Arctic and encourage Chinese enterprises to build infrastructure in the region.
Trump Announces Further Appointments

President-elect Donald Trump rings the opening bell on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, on Dec. 12, 2024. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Trump listed multiple appointments to his incoming administration on Sunday.
Joining White House A.I. & Crypto Czar David Sacks is former Trump administration and Pentagon official Michael J.K. Kratsios as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and an assistant to the president for science and technology.
Trump named Bo Hines as executive director of the “Crypto Council,” the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, to “foster innovation and growth in the digital assets space, while ensuring industry leaders have the resources they need to succeed.”
Also in the technology space, Trump appointed Sriram Krishnan as senior policy adviser for artificial intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to “focus on ensuring continued American leadership in A.I.”

President Donald Trump’s White House senior adviser Stephen Miller (L) and Katie Waldman, press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence, arrive at the White House, on Sept. 20, 2019. Patrick Semansky/AP Photo
Katie Miller is the wife of Stephen Miller, Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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