Ownership of Greenland is "very important" to Donald Trump.
The American president makes this clear once again in an interview with the American newspaper The New York Times.
Here he explains why he needs to possess Greenland, and why it is not sufficient to exploit the agreement that the United States already has with Denmark regarding military access to the island in the Arctic.
"Because that's what I feel is psychologically necessary for success," Trump said.
Could be a choice between NATO and Greenland
He believes that ownership provides something that a lease or treaty cannot.
"Ownership gives you things and elements that you don't get just by signing a document," the US president says.
In the interview with The New York Times, Trump is also asked what he prioritizes most: ownership of Greenland or preserving NATO.
To this he responds that "it could be a choice", adding that the defense alliance is fundamentally useless without the United States.
The question of NATO is relevant because Greenland, as part of the Kingdom of Denmark, is a member of the defense alliance, like the United States, and because the US administration has not ruled out that the US may consider entering Greenland militarily.
Indicated military intervention as a possibility
A statement earlier this week indicated that the US administration sees a military intervention in Greenland as a real possibility.
Thus, the White House wrote that "the use of the US military is always an option available to the commander in chief."
As several times before, the White House emphasized that Greenland is "a national security priority" for Trump.
According to a defense agreement between the United States and Denmark from 1951, the United States is obliged - within NATO - to help Denmark defend Greenland. At the same time, the agreement gives the US military free access to all of Greenland.
However, if the United States is to establish military facilities in Greenland, it will require approval from Denmark. The United States currently has one military base in Greenland - Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Base.
/ritzau/
