ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump renewed his threat of using military force to annex Greenland on Sunday.

“I don’t rule it out,” he told NBC in a Meet the Press interview that was aired on Sunday. “I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything.”

“We need Greenland very badly,” he said, adding that the Danish self-governing territory was needed for “international security.”

“Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of, and we’ll cherish them, and all of that,” Trump said.

Trump’s interest in Greenland

Since returning to the office in January, the US president has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland despite Denmark's rejections.

Greenland has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark since the 18th century and was granted home rule in 1979.

Situated between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, it is rich in minerals and strategically located.

Both Denmark and Greenland have rejected any proposal to sell the territory. A survey conducted in January found that 85% of Greenland’s population opposes joining the US.

In March, Greenland’s Prime Minister-elect Jens-Frederik Nielsen urged European countries to stand with the territory, asserting that it is not for sale.

“Stand with us and make clear that Greenland is not and will never be for sale. Greenland is run by the Greenlandic people, and that will never change,” Nielsen told Anadolu.