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Greenland Update

(343 Posts)
Cossy Tue 13-Jan-26 10:41:16

Telegraph today

Trump’s plan to make Greenlanders an offer they can’t refuse

Sounds more than a little ominous?

Really interesting article covering two things

1) Trumps complete “lie” about Russian and China having ships in Greenland water, not ONE local report from Greenland, across many sources, about spitting even ONE ship.

2) Very very interesting info around Greenland’s minerals. A good read if you have time, link below.

It raises yet again how gun-ho Trump is about getting what he wants, lying, cheating and breaking all kinds of protocol because man-child Trump chooses.

My heart goes out to Greenlanders, who appear very content with Denmark and both Greenland and Denmark have cooperated fully with USA re security since the 1950’s.

My view? Come on Europe, pool ALL your resources and stop this idiot before he ruins our entire world with his greed.

What do you think?

Just in case link doesn’t work, salient points from the article are below, warning, it’s long!

.*Trump’s plan to make Greenlanders an offer they can’t refuse
US proposals to buy the island have been met with protests and alarm by locals
Eir Nolsøe is Economics Correspondent at The Telegraph covering stories on government tax and spend, the labour market and monetary policy.
When Aka Binzer-Johnsen prepared her two daughters for school and nursery after the holidays at the start of January, she felt compelled to tell them about Donald Trump. “I asked my daughters if they could remember from last year that Trump really wants our country,” she says. “I tried to explain in a child-friendly way that this is happening again, and if they hear anything, that’s why.”
The 38-year-old mother, her husband Uju and their daughters, aged five and seven, live on the outskirts of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.
Home to just 20,000 people, life in the quiet town with colourful wooden houses normally feels safe and far removed from the world’s troubles.
But the US president’s threats to seize Greenland have brought a crisis to Nuuk’s doorstep. “This was always like a safe little bubble,” says Binzer-Johnsen, who is a project manager for a charity. “That’s what we are used to from growing up here.”
She adds: “Everything has changed so fast. People are very scared, and emotions are heightened. I’ve felt really bad about what is going on. I’ve had sleepless nights.
“I have so many questions, wondering what we are going to do. If I want to protect my family, is this the time to act?
“I constantly feel ready to flee and leave, just for a period. But at the same time, we can’t just stop living. Everything we’ve invested in is here: our dreams and our life.”

Such considerations are now weighing on the minds of many Greenlanders, regardless of the territory’s status as a Nato member and having served as an American ally for more than 80 years.
The fate of the world’s largest island has been thrust back into the spotlight this month following Trump’s capture of Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan president.
Buoyed by his coup in Latin America, Trump has now set his sights on Greenland, the sparsely populated autonomous Danish territory.
“We need Greenland from a national security situation,” Mr Trump said last week, adding that he may have to choose between preserving Nato or expanding America’s influence in the western hemisphere.

“It’s so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”
The threats have sent alarm bells ringing in Copenhagen and Brussels, prompting stunned European leaders to issue a joint statement saying they will “not stop defending” Greenland.
However, it should not come as a surprise.
The US president has long been fascinated by Greenland, which has been part of the Danish kingdom for hundreds of years, like the Faroe Islands.
Trump first proposed buying the island during his first term in 2019, comparing it to “a large real estate deal”.

Seven years later, he has returned to the issue, alternating between threats of military force and offers to make Greenlanders rich.
All in all, last week’s events suggest the US president may be determined to make Greenlanders an offer they can’t refuse.
However, in Nuuk, the mood is one of anger and defiance.
“He can go f--- himself,” is the verdict from a local pensioner.

So why has the world’s most powerful man decided that, come hell or high water, he must own the world’s largest island?
“The Arctic is the crossroads of the world,” says Dwayne Menezes, founder of the Polar Research and Policy Initiative in London.
“Greenland is strategically located along the shortest air and sea routes between three continents: North America, Europe and Asia.”
The country’s position means it would offer the shortest route for ballistic missiles targeting North America, and it is key to surveillance in the Arctic.
“It also is a vast resource frontier, all of which is becoming increasingly strategically important for the US, but also increasingly accessible because of climate change,” Menezes adds.

The US has cooperated with Greenland and Denmark on national security since the Second World War.
Americans operate the island’s only military base. Some 150 US soldiers staff the Pituffik Space Base on the north-west coast, down from 6,000 during the Cold War.
This is part of a defence agreement that has been in place between the US and Denmark since 1951.
“The US has had such critical infrastructure in Greenland since the Second World War, through the Cold War, and more recently, even now, it plays a very, very important role for the Space Force,” Menezes says.

Experts and locals are also sceptical of US claims that the island’s waters are full of ships from hostile states that pose a threat.
“If there are so many Chinese and Russian ships here, then how can it be that only Donald Trump has seen them?” says Frans Heilmann, the boss of fishing company Sigguk.
Heilmann adds: “All of Greenland is full of fishing trawlers. I have not heard of a single trawler that has spotted either a Russian or Chinese vessel near our coasts.

“I am not sure he [Trump] has much of a conscience. He says Greenland’s strategic position means he needs us for national security.
“But he already has that. That argument is worthless. He’s just after the minerals. He’s a trophy hunter.”
The suspicion that Trump’s interest in Greenland is its vast deposits of rare earths is widespread.
“It’s not really any more about wanting to get Greenland because of security reasons, but coming up with security reasons to get Greenland,” says Menezes.*

The island is rich in resources ranging from uranium that can be used to power nuclear plants to obscure minerals critical for modern-day electronics.*

apple.news/ADUBx4ZdcRbmK5xmG_p4znw

foxie48 Wed 21-Jan-26 14:25:53

"China makes windmills to sell but doesn't use them to generate power" Trump

Absolute rubbish, wind power is third greatest producer of power in China!

"No such thing as rare earth"
Total rubbish, A group of 17 chemically similar elements: Lanthanum, Cerium, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, Lutetium, plus Scandium (Sc) and Yttrium (Y).

"2020 election was rigged"
The man is completely nuts! He just makes things up to suit himself!

Whitewavemark2 Wed 21-Jan-26 14:20:53

How about Trumpton formally known as Edinburgh 😀😀

Whitewavemark2 Wed 21-Jan-26 14:19:56

Re his speech - He’s mad isn’t he?

Allira Wed 21-Jan-26 14:14:38

Whitewavemark2

What find somewhat worrying is if Denmark gives into the pressure and gives over a huge amount of sovereign territory to Trump.

What stops him then looking at Iceland? Canada, Scotland.

Those who want Scotland to become independent should perhaps be careful what they wish for.

How does becoming the 57th State sound?
After Greenland, Canada, Mexico, the Panama Canal, Cuba and the Gaza Strip.

Whitewavemark2 Wed 21-Jan-26 14:07:13

It isn’t as daft as it seems -look at Scotlands strategic position -the North Atlantic.

Norah Wed 21-Jan-26 14:04:44

I read Greenlanders are selling MAGA hats, good profit.

Make America Go Away grin grin

Whitewavemark2 Wed 21-Jan-26 14:03:14

Oh god he’s talking about Greenland - re-writing history😀.

CariadAgain Wed 21-Jan-26 14:00:32

Whitewavemark2

What find somewhat worrying is if Denmark gives into the pressure and gives over a huge amount of sovereign territory to Trump.

What stops him then looking at Iceland? Canada, Scotland.

EEEP! Do you think he might look at Scotland with his greedy little eyes? - ie part of our country!!!

Goodness knows I don't think I'd put grabbing for any country beyond him having a go at it - apart from China and Russia I guess (which are too big a stomachfull for even someone like him).

Elegran Wed 21-Jan-26 13:58:43

WWM2 The line needs to drawn, sooner rather than later.

Elegran Wed 21-Jan-26 13:57:31

He is speaking to the conference, so presumably he arrived there safely.

Whitewavemark2 Wed 21-Jan-26 13:55:42

What find somewhat worrying is if Denmark gives into the pressure and gives over a huge amount of sovereign territory to Trump.

What stops him then looking at Iceland? Canada, Scotland.

Elegran Wed 21-Jan-26 13:46:47

Interesting that Trump's plane has had "problems" which delayed his leaving for Davos. Have they been fixed yet? Do the "problems" include Trump? How long do they think it will take to fix all the problems, including Trump?

CariadAgain Wed 21-Jan-26 13:35:16

"certainties" = cities

CariadAgain Wed 21-Jan-26 13:27:58

I wouldnt put it past Trump at all to go off on one on his own and blow anything/anyone else.

It made me feel quite sick earlier today when I saw that the Greenland Prime Minister has had to warn his people to be ready for war. It is absolutely sickening to see that a superpower (or, to be more accurate, the * in charge of it) might well go and invade an absolute minnow that's got a population not half as big as some of our certainties. Very sickening indeed....

Grantanow Wed 21-Jan-26 13:20:18

I doubt the US would invade Greenland. That would be an act of war which only Congress can authorise and I doubt the US military would act without Congressional approval.

Allira Wed 21-Jan-26 12:48:18

Needed time to think?
That's rather optimistic, Aveline!

Fallingstar Wed 21-Jan-26 12:32:41

I agree that the UK and other European countries will never see the US in the same way. Trump has been a big wake up call inasmuch as western allies now know that the US can be a potential enemy rather than a steadfast ally. When it comes to ‘a special relationship’ that ship has sailed and I hope the UK will forge ever stronger ties with Europe in order to protect the UK.

Aveline Wed 21-Jan-26 12:25:04

I was interested that Trump's plane 'had a problem' and his trip to Davos was delayed. Needed time to think? Needed to calm down and have a rest?

prestbury Wed 21-Jan-26 11:58:01

Elegran

"Beware the anger of a quiet man"

A lovely poem.

A wise old owl lived in an oak,
The more he saw, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard,
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?

Not saying this is how Keir Starmer behaves but it is a lesson to all in positions of authority

AGAA4 Wed 21-Jan-26 11:27:09

Davos!

AGAA4 Wed 21-Jan-26 11:26:09

Keir Starmer has stood up to Trump in a calm and measured way. He has told him he is wrong on Greenland.

He hasn't issued threats like other leaders or used personal insults. I think that is the wrong way with Trump who thrives on confrontation.
I'm not sure whether KS should go to Davis.
Perhaps he doesn't want to be part of any bickering between Trump and other leaders.

Whitewavemark2 Wed 21-Jan-26 11:11:23

I read that Starmer had decided to go to Davos if he could arrange a meeting with Trump.

But given Chagos and Trumps latest outpourings to the Norwegian PM - I think that ship has sailed.

Allira Wed 21-Jan-26 11:08:21

GrannyGravy13

foxie48

He can't win, can he? If he attends foreign meetings he gets accused of neglecting home interests, if he doesn't go he gets accused of not looking after British interests. tbh I would like to see what Starmer actually said about Davos. He did say this before he became PM,
"Once you get out of Westminster whether it’s Davos or anywhere else, you actually engage with people that you can see working with in the future. Westminster is just a tribal shouting place." I think this shows he recognised that in politics you need to get to know influential people so you can work with them to the benefit of the British people. I think he should stay away from Davos, he's made his point clearly and now it's time for the other European leaders to make theirs.

foxie48 I agree in as much as KS is damned if he attends Davos, and damned if he doesn’t

I am more than happy to admit when I am wrong, and in the past I have been critical of him being out of the country and appearing to be putting U.K. parliamentary business second. This is in part to the dreadful (or total lack of) a decent comms team in No.10.

In what is beginning to look like the rearrangement of the world order as we have been used to since WWII, it would in my opinion, be beneficial for our PM to be seen at Davos amongst the world leaders and money people.

In what is beginning to look like the rearrangement of the world order as we have been used to since WWII, it would in my opinion, be beneficial for our PM to be seen at Davos amongst the world leaders and money people.

I agree.

How did this Forum become so influential in such a short time anyway?
Are political leaders just pawns and not in fact running world affairs at all?

LemonJam Wed 21-Jan-26 10:29:47

In the words of Carney- “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu”.

Elegran Wed 21-Jan-26 10:28:53

"Beware the anger of a quiet man"