U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 16th (local time) that he could impose a tariff on countries that do not cooperate on the Greenland issue.
According to CNBC that day, Trump said at the White House roundtable on the "great and historic rural health investment" that "Greenland is needed for national security," adding, "If there is no cooperation on the Greenland matter, we could impose a tariff." The remark came as he explained that his tariff policy is directly tied to national security.
Trump has recently been pushing hard the argument that the United States must secure Greenland. Citing security threats posed by China and Russia, he maintains that U.S. ownership of Greenland is essential.
CNBC interpreted that even though the United States already has a military base in Greenland, Trump is pressing the case that it must also secure strategic control.
The White House said it is also reviewing an option to purchase Greenland. But Greenland and Denmark stress that the territory is not for sale and that they have no intention of being incorporated into the United States.