The Danish government announced a significant increase in defense spending for Greenland a few hours after the newly elected US President Donald Trump reiterated his desire to establish control over the Arctic territory.
This is reported by the BBC.
Thus, the Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that the package is at least USD 1.5 billion. He called the timing of the announcement "irony of fate".
Recall that on Monday, Trump said that possession and control of the huge island is an "absolute necessity" for the US.
The publication notes that Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, is home to a large American space facility and is of strategic importance to the US, as it lies on the shortest route to Europe. It has large reserves of minerals and oil.
Poulsen said the package would buy two new inspection ships, two new long-range drones and two additional dog sleds.
It also includes funding to increase the staff of the Arctic Command in the capital, Nuuk, and to upgrade one of Greenland's three main civilian airports to accommodate the F-35 supersonic fighter jets.
"We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years, now we plan to increase our presence," he said.
The defense minister did not give an exact amount for the package, but Danish media estimated it would be around DKK 12-15 billion.
The announcement came a day after Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social: "In order to ensure national security and freedom around the world, the United States of America believes that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."
Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede responded to Trump's comments by saying "we are not for sale." At the same time, he added that Greenlanders should remain open to cooperation and trade, especially with their neighbors.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Trump also joked during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that Canada should become the 51st state of the United States.
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