Will President Trump use military force to take control of Greenland? | Global News Podcast

Welcome to the Global News podcast on. YouTube, where we go behind the. headlines to find out more about a story. and why it matters. Today, we're going. to be talking about Donald Trump's. designs on Greenland. The president has. been ramping up his calls for the US to. take control of the Danish territory, and the White House has said he's. considering a range of options to do so, including the use of the military. So, why is Greenland so important to Donald. Trump and what could a US takeover look.

like? We're joined now by our diplomatic. correspondent, James Landdale. And. James, how did we get to this point? Because Donald Trump has been talking. about this for quite a while, hasn't he? >> Well, Donald Trump has the Americans. have. I mean um during the Second World. War, the Americans occupied Greenland. because um when Denmark, its former. colonial ruler was, um occupied by the. Nazis, um the Americans seized it to to. defend it, then gave it back to Denmark. after the war. But there there were. there were some noises and expressions. of interest from US presidents saying,

"We quite like to buy this." That all. sort of filtered away. But then when. Donald Trump came to power in his first. term of office, he made it uh frequently. um said things, "I want to have it. I I. think we should have have Greenland. Nobody really took him seriously, but. they are now. >> Why does he want it? >> Well, the overt reason is for security. uh he and his advisers repeatedly say, "Look, uh this is uh. America's back door to the north and.

that as the Arctic uh waters melt, there. are incre increasing capacity to get. shipping through the Arctic that there. wasn't before and that they believe. there is an an increased threat from. countries like Russia and China and that. they want to make sure that uh Denmark. is defending Greenland properly and at. the moment the Americans claim. >> uh that they think it is it is. undefended. So they want to have control. of Greenland so they can defend it.

That's the overt reason. The less overt. reason is that um Greenland is packed. full of wealthy um minerals um rare. earths oils and I think um the Americans. have made it very very clear that they. would like to get access to some of. that. >> The White House has said he's. considering a range of options. What. does that mean? >> Well, that that that range does include. military action. The president. spokeswoman has made it absolutely clear. that he retains the right to do that. I. mean, in the context of when we've just.

had a a US military assault on. Venezuela. You know, it it's it is no. contrast. Um Greenland is a a vast. island, the biggest in the world, but it. is very thinly populated, about sort of. 57,000 people. uh you know it would take. a couple of companies of American. Marines to land in a few helicopters to. alle seize control. You is not somewhere. that has loads of um you know. Russianbuilt air defenses and things. like that. So the military option is.

there. Uh that is one that um others in. the American system are saying well. that's less likely. Um, Marco Rubio, the. US Secretary of State, has been quoted. in the papers saying that telling. congressional leaders that actually. what's the US wants to do is it just. wants to buy Greenland. Others are. saying one thing that could happen is. something what's called a compact of. free association. Now, this is a deal. that the US has done with a bunch of. islands in the Pacific. It did this in. the 1980s and essentially it's an.

agreement where the US come in and say, "Right, look, we will organize and be in. charge of your security and your. defense. um and in return will give you. a whole load of um economic benefits. Um. that is something that uh in other words. they would offer the people of Greenland. uh a substantial amount of cash and. investment and trade and things like. that in return for the US having uh. security sovereignty. Now that is. something that you know potentially. could happen but would require.

referendums. It would require. legislation and many many years before. it would happen. What sort of military. presence would the US want to have in. Greenland then? >> Well, I think the first thing to say is. that there is nothing limiting the US. having a military presence. Now, um. Denmark and the US have had a military. partnership agreement for over 70 years. now. Uh that lasted throughout the whole. of the Cold War. Uh over history during. that period, the the Americans have had. numerous military bases in Greenland.

There's only one left now. uh and it's. not massively populated, two 300 people. as far as we know um based there. Um but. the Danes have made it very very clear. that they are willing to let the. Americans increase their numbers, have. other bases um to address their security. concerns in a way that can be agreed. bilaterally or through NATO. It doesn't. require the United States to sort of. invade and put a flag and say, "Right, this is now ours." Um, in practical.

terms, for the United States to occupy. uh Denmark militarily would take very. very little military effort whatsoever. I'm talking, you know, a few companies. of Marines, a few helicopters, uh, and that's it. Because there's not a. massive military presence by the Danes. there. There are no, um, air defenses as. there was in um, Venezuela. there um you. know it's pretty clear that European. leaders would not go to war with the. United States over Greenland because it.

would be you know pointless. So they. sort of made it very clear. So in. practical terms the US would not need a. massive military force um to to take. over the capital nuke and and and other. a few other areas. Um the key problem is. that the s symbolism of that would be. absolutely. jaw-dropping. um erred defining um and transforming of.

the western transatlantic alliance. >> Have Denmark moved any forces to. Greenland or around Greenland since this. all sort of started being talked about. again or is it pretty much the same as. it was? >> The Danes have increased a little bit. and they have plans to do more. Um but. it's pretty small. It's you know a few. ships, border patrol ships, a few other. things. Um it's not a substantial you. know military force. Um the key question. is and the Danes sort of have asked for.

a meeting with the Americans to discuss. this amongst other things is say look if. there is an increased threat from Russia. and China what is that threat and how. can NATO best address it? And I think. that is one of the thing that European. leaders are discussing now is what more. can they do to put forces into that. environment. So is it uh better air. defenses? Is it uh better radar for for. spotting incoming missiles? Um is it uh.

new ways of detecting underwater drones. that might be operated operating under. what's left of the ice in the Arctic? Um, it's those kind of discussions about. what particular bits of military. hardware would be available. Just. sticking, you know, a thousand troops. sat in a in a very cold barracks in the. middle of um, you know, the the the. frozen wastelands um, you know, is. something that probably wouldn't. actually have much military effect. >> And how are other countries reacting to. this? And importantly, the people of. Greenland, what do they think about.

this? >> Well, the people of Greenland don't like. it. um they in they have had repeated uh. polls where they have indicated that. they do want at some point to become. independent from Denmark but they. haven't agreed how or when um and uh a. lot of the polls suggest they don't want. to be taken over or possessed by the. United States but at the same time they. do want to have access to American um. investment and money can because you. know the the economy is struggling there. at the moment uh across Europe though. the there has been um deep concern.

Because if the United States were to. conduct military action against uh. Greenland, that would be one member of. the NATO military alliance attacking. another that is unprecedented. There are. no rules for how that happened. And the. you know the Danish prime minister met. Frederickton has said that if that. happens then you know NATO comes to an. end. In other words, the historic. transatlantic alliance that has kept the. European European continent safe since. the Second World War would collapse.

because at that point there would be. zero trust between the United States and. its former European allies. >> and that would just have huge knock-on. implications. Some countries would be. incredibly happy with that. NATO just. Russia would be happy with that. That is. a key strategy of Vladimir Putin to. divide Europe from its American allies. The Chinese would not be unhappy with. that. Uh European taxpayers would start. having to spend substantially more on. defense because they'd have to look. after themselves. That means that uh.

millions of people and voters across. Europe would get less welfare, less. money spent on education, less money. spent on health because all of that. would have to go on Europe defending. itself and not relying on the United. States as it has done for the last 80. years. >> James, thank you so much. That was James. Landale, our diplomatic correspondent. And for more on this story and others, you can listen to the Global News. podcast. You can find it wherever you. listen to your podcast. And if you like.

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