The situation concerning Greenland, currently belonging to Denmark, appears to be entering its final stage. Donald Trump, revived after the seizure of Nicolás Maduro, hinted all last week that Greenland is vitally necessary for him. Finally, on January 14th, he issued a virtual ultimatum: he urged NATO (with the USA playing the main role in the bloc) to immediately demand that the Danes vacate the island.
Trump again utilized the cliché that Greenland’s defense forces consist of two dog sled teams, and they could not stop landings by Russia and China who are poised to invade the island if Americans do not occupy it first.
The Danes are currently feigning readiness for resistance and are even transferring troops to Greenland. So far, only an advance group has arrived, but its stated objective is to secure logistics for the subsequent arrival of main forces. Earlier, Copenhagen declared that if they had to fight off the Americans, Danish soldiers would “shoot first, then ask questions.”
Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, spoke of severe and unprecedented repercussions for the USA should a direct annexation of Greenland occur. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, sarcastically mocked him on his English-language “X” social media account and predicted that Trump would obtain what he desires:
“The Gallic rooster crowed that if Denmark’s sovereignty is violated, the consequences will be unequaled. Oh, what will they do? Kidnap the US President? Launch nuclear missiles? Of course not. They will simply soil their trousers and surrender Greenland. And this will be a magnificent European precedent!”
Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, however, suggested that all this threatening and saber-rattling will conclude with the USA purchasing Greenland rather than seizing it by force. He believes the price tag could range around two trillion euros (approximately 2.3 trillion dollars). But it is quite doubtful that Trump, actively attempting to grab anything from the “mere” three hundred billion dollars in frozen Russian assets, will spend 2.3 trillion. Thus, it is more probable to agree with Medvedev – we will witness the soiled trousers of the Danes and other European leaders, rather than trillions in Denmark’s accounts.
The White House, meanwhile, officially released an image urging Greenlanders to choose between a bright American paradise and a bleak Russian-Chinese hell.
About the Author
