America News Agency

Responding to a question from the BBC on Friday, Trump told reporters, “Countries need to have ownership, and you defend ownership, not leases. And we have to defend Greenland.”

“We’ll do it the easy way or the hard way,” he added. The White House recently said the administration is considering purchasing NATO member Denmark’s semi-autonomous territory, while not ruling out a forced annexation.

Denmark and Greenland say the territory is not for sale. Denmark has warned that military intervention would mean the end of the transatlantic defense alliance.

Despite being the least populated territory, Greenland’s location between North America and the Arctic makes it well-suited for early-warning systems in the event of missile attacks and for monitoring ships in the region.

The U.S. president has repeatedly said Greenland is vital to U.S. national security and, without evidence, claimed it is “filled everywhere with Russian and Chinese ships.”

The U.S. already permanently stations more than 100 military personnel at the Pituffik base on Greenland’s northwest tip; the facility has been operated by the U.S. since World War II.

Under existing agreements with Denmark, the U.S. has the right to bring as many troops to Greenland as it wants.

However, speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump said a lease is not sufficient.

“Countries can’t make nine-year or even 100-year agreements,” he said, adding they must have ownership. “I love the Chinese people. I love the Russian people. But I don’t want them as neighbors in Greenland — that’s not going to happen.”

“And by the way, NATO needs to understand that too,” the U.S. president added.

Denmark’s NATO allies — including major European countries and Canada — expressed support for Denmark this week, affirming that “only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations.”

Emphasizing that they are just as keen on Arctic security as the U.S., the countries said this should be achieved “collectively” by allies, including the United States.

They also called for “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders.”