Blinken called Trump's desire to control Greenland "not a good idea"

The desire of US President-elect Donald Trump to establish control over Greenland is "not the best" idea. This statement was made by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a visit to France on January 8.

"The idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not the best idea," he said at a joint press conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

The U.S. secretary of state, among other things, noted that taking control of the island will not materialize. Blinken added that not much time should be spent talking about Trump's plan.

Why Trump needs control over Greenland. Parsing

Earlier in the day, The New York Post, citing a source, reported that Donald Trump wants to establish control over Greenland to send a "strong signal" to Beijing.

On the eve of the Danish Parliament member of Greenland Aja Chemnitz said that Greenland is not for sale and will not be sold. However, he noted that Denmark could work more closely with the United States on business development.

On December 22, 2024, Trump, announcing the appointment of an ambassador to Denmark, called it an "absolute necessity" for the United States to own and control Greenland. The American politician expressed interest in buying Greenland from Denmark back in 2019. Then he received a rejection.

Members of the Danish Parliament on December 24 condemned the return of the American president-elect to the topic of buying the island, called his statement unacceptable and characterized these words as a "cynical policy of a superpower".

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on December 25 that the country had prepared a new defense package to protect Greenland, with at least $1.5 billion earmarked.

Later, on January 6, King Frederik X of Denmark changed the state's coat of arms to make Greenland and the Faroe Islands more prominent. The Guardian noted that this could be seen as a rebuke to Trump.