Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Greenland Fallout: Trump's Canceled Trip Blindsides Denmark
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
August 21, 2019

Share

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says she is “disappointed and surprised” by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his visit to Denmark after she called Trump’s idea of buying the semi-autonomous Arctic territory of Greenland from Denmark “an absurd discussion.”

“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time.” — President Donald Trump
Trump, who was scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept. 2-3 as part of a European tour, tweeted his decision early Wednesday. The cancellation stunned Danes and blindsided the Danish royal palace, with spokeswoman Lene Balleby telling The Associated Press it came as “a surprise” to the royal household, which had formally invited Trump.
“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump said.
The vast island of Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, has a population of 56,000 and has 80% of its land mass covered by a 660,000 square-mile ice sheet.
The political brouhaha over the world’s largest island comes from its strategic location in the Arctic, which due to global warming is becoming more accessible to possible potential oil and mineral resources. Nations from Russia to China, the U.S., Canada and elsewhere are racing to stake as strong a claim as they can to Arctic lands, hoping they will yield future riches.
At the same time, scientists consider Greenland the canary in the coal mine for climate change and say its massive ice sheet has seen once of its biggest melts on record this summer, contributing to a global rise in sea levels.
Frederiksen said she is standing behind the government of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.

Others in Denmark Were Not as Gracious as Prime Minister

“A discussion about a potential sale of Greenland has been put forward. It has been rejected by Greenland Premier Kim Kielsen and I fully stand behind that rejection,” she told reporters at a press conference Wednesday in Copenhagen.
Frederiksen, who took office two months ago in a minority Social Democratic government, went on to say that diplomatic relations between Copenhagen and Washington “are not in any crisis in my opinion” after Trump canceled his plans to visit.

“The invitation for a stronger strategic cooperation with the Americans in the Arctic is still open. The United States is one of our closest allies.” — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen
“The invitation for a stronger strategic cooperation with the Americans in the Arctic is still open,” Frederiksen told reporters, adding “the United States is one of our closest allies.”
Others in Denmark were not as gracious as the prime minister.
Martin Lidegaard, a former Danish foreign minister, told broadcaster TV2 that it was “a diplomatic farce” and called Trump’s behavior “grotesque.”
Trump’s cancellation was “deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark,” former Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt wrote on Twitter.
Claus Oxfeldt, chairman of Denmark’s main police union, told Danish media that authorities had been busy planning the third visit by a sitting U.S. president to the Scandinavian NATO member. “It has created great frustrations to have spent so much time preparing for a visit that is canceled,” Oxfeldt was quoted as saying.
Ordinary Danes shook their heads at the news, with many calling Trump an immature person who was “living on another planet.”
Photo of researchers sitting on a rock overlooking the Helheim glacier in Greenland
In this Aug. 16, 2019, photo, New York University student researchers sit on a rock overlooking the Helheim glacier in Greenland. U.S. President Trump announced his decision to postpone an early September visit to Denmark by tweet Tuesday Aug. 20, 2019, after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed the notion of selling Greenland to the U.S. as “an absurd discussion.” (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Trump Said He Was Interested in Buying Greenland for Strategic Purposes

“He thinks he can just buy Greenland, he acts like an elephant in a china shop,” said Pernille Iversen, a 41-year-old shopkeeper in Copenhagen.
“This is an insult to (Queen) Margrethe, to Denmark,” said Steen Gade, a 55-year-old road worker.

“He thinks he can just buy Greenland, he acts like an elephant in a china shop.” — Pernille Iversen, a 41-year-old shopkeeper in Copenhagen
The U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Carla Sands, was apparently not informed of Trump’s decision ahead of time.
Shortly before Trump canceled the trip on Twitter, she sent a tweet saying “Denmark is ready for POTUS,” using an acronym for “President of the United States” along with Trump’s Twitter handle and a photo from Copenhagen’s City Hall square, where a Dane had paid for two pro-Trump ads on giant electronic screens.
Trump had said Sunday that he was interested in buying Greenland for strategic purposes, but said a purchase was not a priority for his government at this time. Both Frederiksen and Greenland leader Kielsen responded that Greenland is not for sale.
“The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct,” Trump said. “I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”
Trump is still expected to visit nearby Poland beginning on Aug. 31.
Retreating ice could uncover potential oil and mineral resources in Greenland which, if successfully tapped, could dramatically change the island’s fortunes. However, no oil has yet been found in Greenlandic waters and the thickness of the ice means exploration is only possible in coastal regions.

The U.S. Air Force Currently Maintains One Base in Northern Greenland

Even there, conditions are far from ideal, due to its long winter with frozen ports, 24-hour darkness and temperatures regularly dropping below minus 20 Fahrenheit in the northern parts.
American leaders have tried to buy Greenland before. In 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.
Under a 1951 deal, Denmark allowed the U.S. to build bases and radar stations on Greenland.
The U.S. Air Force currently maintains one base in northern Greenland, Thule Air Force Base, 745 miles south of the North Pole. Former military airfields in Narsarsuaq, Kulusuk and Kangerlussuaq have become civilian airports.
The Thule base, constructed in 1952, was originally designed as a refueling base for long-range bombing missions. It has been a ballistic missile early warning and space surveillance site since 1961.
“His relatively polite wording in the tweets seems to indicate that he didn’t want to provoke or step up anything,” said Kristian Soeby Kristensen, a political scientist with the University of Copenhagen. He noted that Trump didn’t call Frederiksen “weak” as he has done with others.
Both Denmark and the United States have an interest in “business as usual” as Denmark is “a key partner in the Arctic.”
“They need each other, so I don’t see a buildup of tensions,” he said, adding that, however, “one should be cautious about analyzing Trump’s unconventional foreign policy.”
[activecampaign form=29]

DON'T MISS

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

DON'T MISS

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

DON'T MISS

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

DON'T MISS

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

DON'T MISS

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

DON'T MISS

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

DON'T MISS

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

DON'T MISS

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

DON'T MISS

Protesters Rebelling Against Elon Musk’s Purge of US Government Swarm Tesla Showrooms

DON'T MISS

Plastics Are Seeping Into Farm Fields, Food and Eventually Human Bodies

UP NEXT

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

UP NEXT

Trump Pledges US Aid for Asia Quake Despite Former Official Saying System in ‘Shambles’

UP NEXT

Israel Strikes Beirut for the First Time Since a Ceasefire Ended the Latest Israel-Hezbollah War

UP NEXT

Utah Becomes the First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Drinking Water

UP NEXT

At Least 20 Dead in Myanmar After Strong Earthquake

UP NEXT

Wilmer Flores’ 3-Run Homer in the 9th Inning Propels Giants to Victory Over Reds

UP NEXT

Germany and France Say Europe Must Respond to Trump’s Auto Tariffs

UP NEXT

Gaza Residents Demand End to 18 Years of Hamas Rule

UP NEXT

Democrats’ Popularity Plummets, yet Midterm Prospects Remain Strong

UP NEXT

USDA Explores Why US Egg Shortage Contrasts with Canada’s Abundant Supply

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

9 hours ago

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

10 hours ago

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

23 hours ago

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

1 day ago

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

1 day ago

Protesters Rebelling Against Elon Musk’s Purge of US Government Swarm Tesla Showrooms

1 day ago

Plastics Are Seeping Into Farm Fields, Food and Eventually Human Bodies

1 day ago

Myanmar’s Earthquake Death Toll Jumps to 1,644 as More Bodies Are Recovered From the Rubble

1 day ago

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

1 day ago

If You Want to Ski Affordably Next Season, Buy Now

1 day ago

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

Last year, The Merced FOCUS reported that for the first time in over a decade, a crucial service for survivors of sexual assault would be of...

8 hours ago

8 hours ago

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

8 hours ago

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

9 hours ago

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

9 hours ago

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

10 hours ago

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

23 hours ago

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

1 day ago

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

1 day ago

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend