Trump: “If we don’t take Greenland, China and Russia will”

“You can’t protect leased land like it’s sovereign territory”

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would first seek to reach an agreement to take control of Greenland, a Danish territory, but could resort to coercive measures if that fails.

Speaking at a meeting with oil and gas executives at the White House on the 9th (local time), Trump said of securing Greenland, “I want to make a deal, and that’s the easy way, but if we don’t do it the easy way, we’ll do it the hard way.”

He added, “We will not allow Russia or China to occupy Greenland, and if we don’t take it, they will,” saying, “So we’re going to do something about Greenland—either in a friendly way or in a tougher way.”

Despite opposition from Denmark, Greenland residents and many European countries, he again stressed that he would secure it “whether they like it or not.” He went on to claim, “Russian and Chinese destroyers and submarines operate all over Greenland,” adding, “We will not have Russia or China as neighbors.”

Asked how much he would pay to win Greenlanders’ support for U.S. acquisition of the territory, Trump said, “I’m not talking about money for Greenland yet,” adding that he could discuss the issue later.

When asked why the U.S. wants to own Greenland despite being able to conduct military activities there—such as operating bases—under a defense agreement with Denmark, he said, “You have to own it to protect it. Nobody protects leased land like it’s sovereign territory.”

He also addressed the situation in Iran, again warning that the U.S. would intervene militarily if the Iranian government kills anti-government protesters. “If they start killing people like they did in the past, we will intervene,” Trump said, adding, “We will hit Iran where it hurts, very hard.”

He noted, however, that striking Iran “does not mean deploying ground troops,” adding, “We are watching the situation very closely.”

“I just want Iran’s protesters to be safe,” he said, adding that he has been telling Iran’s leaders, “They’d better not start shooting (the protesters). If they do, we’ll start shooting, too.”

Asked whether he would order an operation to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin as he did with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump replied, “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

He said, however, that he was “very disappointed” that Putin is not cooperating in ending the war in Ukraine, adding, “I think we will eventually end the war, but I hope we can do it faster.”

By Young-gi Jin, Hankyung.com reporter young71@hankyung.com