But he said he thought the chances of Mr Trump's reported ambitions being realised were unlikely. Politicians in Denmark have ridiculed the idea of a possible US acquisition. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who took office earlier this year, has not commented on the reports.
She is set to visit Greenland this weekend and has said she is "very much looking forward" to it. Mr Trump is scheduled to visit Denmark in September but there is no indication that the possible acquisition of Greenland is on the agenda.
Greenland is the largest island in the world after Australia, which is defined as a continent in its own right. It is an autonomous Danish territory, located between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. It has a population of about 56, people concentrated around the coastline.
It has a limited self-government and its own parliament. The ice melt has increased access to the island's mineral resources. But it's also believed that the receding ice may expose toxic nuclear waste that was left at several US military sites during the Cold War. Mr Trump has reportedly taken an interest in Greenland, in part, because of its natural resources, such as coal, zinc, copper and iron ore.
But while Greenland might be rich in minerals, it currently relies on Denmark for two thirds of its budget revenue. It has high rates of suicide, alcoholism and unemployment. Matt Damon: Clean water access frees up time for school. Barbara Corcoran: The housing boom is not a bubble. Any price tag on Greenland would depend on how desperately the United States wants it and why, and Trump's motivations are unclear.
Inuit fishermen prepare a net as free-floating ice floats behind at the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord. But even if they wanted to sell, that valuation is unlikely to entice Denmark or Greenland to the negotiating table with Trump. Past US purchases of other territories could also provide insight into what Washington may be willing to pay. Read More. Morgan said such a deal would involve treaties, legislative processes in Denmark, Greenland and the United States, and likely also the European Union, and he was skeptical it could be done.
If this were to go ahead, it's going to be in the billions, possibly even trillions. Greenland is already home to the US military's northernmost base, the Thule Air Base, located about miles north of the Arctic Circle. The radar and listening post features a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System that can detect incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles and reaches thousands of miles into Russian territory. As the planet's temperature rises and its climate change s, that ice sheet has seen historic melting, potentially endangering life on Earth.
But with that melt, the Trump administration sees an important strategic opportunity, racing to push back on Russia's growing military presence in the Arctic and China's economic push into the region. In what was mistaken for a joke at first last August, Trump said his administration was looking into purchasing Greenland, which may hold vast oil or mineral resources beneath that ice sheet and sits at a critical location at the intersection of the Atlantic Ocean's northernmost stretches and the Arctic Ocean.
His offer was rebuffed by Greenlandic and Danish officials. Greenland is a territory of Denmark with limited self-government -- its own parliament and premier, but no foreign policy.
A senior State Department official said, "There's no plan or interagency process underway involving the purchase of Greenland. It is positive that the increased cooperation between Greenland and the U.
The U. One U. Presence matters. It's easier to have good relations and to communicate when you are someplace on the ground. And it's smart politics for our allies and the people of the United States," said the senior official, adding there are plans for a permanent facility, but for the time being the U.
Russia has dramatically expanded its military footprint in the Arctic Circle, with new or refurbished military bases, increased operations and military exercises, and newly deployed missile systems and Arctic brigades.
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