Greenland fired back at President-elect Donald Trump on Monday after the MAGA leader called ownership of the semi-autonomous part of Denmark an "absolute necessity" for the United States' "national security and freedom."
Trump's eyebrow-raising comment came Sunday when he announced he picked Ken Howery, as his ambassador to Copenhagen.
"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social. He did not explain what he meant.
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But both Greenland and Denmark officials hit back at Trump's ominous annexation remark, Reuters reported Monday.
"Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom," Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Rasmus Jarlov, a member of Denmark's parliament, wrote on X: "To the extent that U.S. activities aim to take control of Danish territory, it must be prohibited and countered. Then they can't be there at all."
Reuters noted Greenland's capital is closer to New York than Copenhagen and has ample minerals oil and natural gas. Its location gives it strategic importance for the military and its ballistic missile early-warning system.
Trump in 2019 also expressed interest in purchasing the island. Denmark rejected the deal along with the island's own officials.
