Greenland fallout: Trump scolds Denmark over rejection By JAN M. OLSEN and LAURIE KELLMANan hour ago
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Escalating an
international spat , President Donald Trump said Wednesday he scrapped his trip
to Denmark because the prime minister made a “nasty” statement when she
rejected his idea to buy Greenland as an absurdity.
“You don’t talk to the United States that way,
at least under me,” Trump told reporters in Washington. “I thought it was not a
nice statement, the way she blew me off.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called
the whole thing “an absurd discussion” and said she was “disappointed and
surprised” that Trump had canceled his visit.
Trump said Frederiksen’s comment labeling his
idea as absurd “was nasty. I thought it was an inappropriate statement. All she
had to say was say, ‘No, we wouldn’t be interested.’”
More: Glaciers On The Edge
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of the
U.S. ally, and Frederiksen said the U.S. remains one of Denmark’s close allies.
The political brouhaha over the
world’s largest island comes from its strategic location in the Arctic. Global
warming is making Greenland more accessible to potential oil and mineral
resources. Russia, China, the U.S., Canada and other countries are racing to
stake as strong a claim as they can to Arctic lands, hoping they will yield
future riches.
Trump was scheduled to visit
Denmark on Sept. 2-3 as part of a European tour. But early Wednesday, he
tweeted his decision to indefinitely postpone the trip. The move stunned Danes
and blindsided the Danish royal palace. Spokeswoman Lene Balleby told The
Associated Press that it came as “a surprise” to the royal household, which had
formally invited Trump.
The U.S. State Department said
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke Wednesday with his Danish counterpart and
“expressed appreciation for Denmark’s cooperation as one of the United States’
allies and Denmark’s contributions to address shared global security
priorities.”
Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said
Pompeo and Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod “also discussed
strengthening cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark - including Greenland -
in the Arctic.”
On Tuesday, Trump tweeted,
“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime
Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in
discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting
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