US President Donald Trump insisted he won't use force to acquire Greenland. In a speech at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, the US President said he wants to “get Greenland, including right, title and ownership”.
Claiming that no other country can secure the Danish territory, Trump said, "People thought I would use force, but I don't have to use force," adding, "I don't want to use force. I won't use force."
"We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be frankly unstoppable. But I won't do that."
According to Trump, no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States. "I am seeking immediate negotiations to once again to discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States," he said.
Trump called for "immediate negotiations" for the US to acquire Greenland from Denmark during his speech at Davos.
The president also lashed out at Denmark for being "ungrateful" for the US protection of the Arctic island during World War II and continued to make his case that the US needs to control the island for the sake of national security.
"This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America," Trump said. "That's our territory."
The president cited the difficulty of mining on the Arctic island. "You've got to go through hundreds of feet of ice," he said. That's not the reason we need it."
On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had called Trump's planned new tariffs on eight of its countries over Greenland a "mistake" and questioned Trump's trustworthiness.