ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Europe would be speaking German and Japanese today if Washington had not led Allied forces to victory in World War II

He used the historical argument to justify his push to acquire Greenland.

"After the war - which we won, we won it big - without us, right now, you'd all be speaking German and little Japanese perhaps," Trump told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The US president defended his Greenland demands by noting Denmark's rapid defeat during the war, claiming Copenhagen fell to Germany "after just six hours of fighting and was totally unable to defend either itself or Greenland."

Trump said Washington was "compelled" to send forces to hold Greenland "at great cost and expense," establishing bases to protect the territory for Denmark.

"We literally set up bases on Greenland for Denmark. We fought for Denmark," he said, adding the US also acted to prevent "enemies" from gaining a foothold in the Western Hemisphere.

Greenland has attracted Trump's interest due to its strategic Arctic location, vast mineral resources and alleged concerns about growing Russian and Chinese activity.

Denmark and Greenland have rejected proposals to transfer the territory, reaffirming Danish sovereignty.