US President Donald Trump did not voice the US priority between the two options - Greenland or NATO. However, he acknowledged that "it may be a choice." According to him, Greenland is "psychologically necessary for success."
He said this in an interview with The New York Times.
Trump refused to give a direct answer when asked whether the acquisition of Greenland or the preservation of NATO was a priority, but added that "it may be a choice." He also made clear that the transatlantic alliance is virtually useless without the United States at its core.
"Ownership is very important," Trump said, discussing the Greenland territory from the point of view of a real estate tycoon.
Asked why he needed to own the territory, he said he believed it was "psychologically necessary for success."
"I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do, whether you’re talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document," he said.
Trump added: "I want them to shape up. I think we’ll always get along with Europe, but I want them to shape up. I’m the one that got them to spend more on the, you know, more G.D.P. on NATO. But if you look at NATO, Russia I can tell you is not at all concerned with any other country but us."
As a reminder, French President Emmanuel Macron said, that the United States, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, "is departing from international rules" and turning away from allies amid Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's admiration and plans for Greenland.
Meanwhile, Politico reports that European officials are considering exchanging Greenland for more explicit security guarantees for Ukraine from the United States.
As The Economist reported earlier, the administration of US President Donald Trump is working on a draft agreement on Greenland, which is planned to be submitted to the island's authorities in the future.
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