Trump’s Greenland Deal Puts His Annexation Plans on Ice
After doing lasting damage to the relationship between the US and Europe, Donald Trump got roughly the same deal over Greenland he could have obtained by asking politely. The administration’s plan to acquire the island has been put on the back burner.
Donald Trump recently concluded an agreement with the governments of Greenland and Denmark over the status of the Arctic island. Trump presented it as a big victory for his efforts, but the substance of the agreement told a different story. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
Donald Trump recently concluded an agreement with the governments of Greenland and Denmark over the status of the Arctic island. Trump presented it as a big victory for his efforts, claiming that it granted the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many US concerns.”
The substance of the agreement told a different story. After doing lasting damage to the relationship between the United States and Europe, the Trump administration got more or less the same deal it could have obtained by asking politely. Trump’s repeatedly stated plan to acquire Greenland has been put on the back burner.
End of the Saga?
“Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders — it cannot be taken from us,” Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen proclaimed in a Facebook post that showed him grinning contentedly. A saga that has brought hitherto unprecedented attention to his country seemed to be coming to an end.
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