Treasure Island: US continues expansion in Greenland
The idea of American President Donald Trump's annexation of Greenland is coming to the fore again. The Danish broadcasting company DR, citing sources, reported that the United States is actively conducting an "influence campaign" to allegedly persuade the island's citizens to "switch to the American side." Immediately after these statements, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, on behalf of the government, decided to apologize to the Greenlanders who underwent forced contraception more than 60 years ago. What the United States promises the islanders and why Copenhagen hastened to apologize to its fellow citizens is in the Izvestia article.
Outside influence
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen has summoned the US Charge d'affaires to an emergency meeting due to an alleged "influence campaign" allegedly organized by supporters of Donald Trump in Greenland. The purpose of this "campaign" is to form public opinion and determine the future of the Arctic territory, currently under the control of the European state. The Danish foreign minister said that officials would "make it very clear to the United States" that a campaign of foreign influence in Greenland with Washington's support would be contrary to all international rules.
Earlier, the Danish television and radio company DR, citing sources, reported that Americans close to Donald Trump are secretly working with the Greenlandic society to put the island's population and Copenhagen at odds. The "agents" collect information about citizens who are friendly and negatively disposed towards Washington, thereby preparing the ground for the annexation of the territory to the United States.
According to DR, several people from Donald Trump's entourage, whose names are known but for some reason have not been disclosed, have regularly visited the island in recent years. There, American "agents" tried to establish relations with influential people and ordinary residents. In this regard, the sources mentioned expressed concerns that such acquaintances could be used by the 47th President of the United States to fulfill the "desire to capture Greenland."
"During his visit to snow-covered Nuuk earlier this year, the American not only compiled a list of Greenlanders friendly to the United States in Greenland and Denmark. He also collected the names of people who are opponents of Donald Trump. The American, who has been seen in public with the US president many times, was recently appointed to a position that could give him the opportunity to influence US security policy. In Nuuk, he also asked Greenlanders to point out cases that could be used to cast Denmark in a bad light in the American media... An American who visited Nuuk earlier this year and compiled lists of Greenlanders is still working on Greenland's annexation to the United States," the broadcaster said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio
The person mentioned in the text of the DR message could well be US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Back in April, at a press conference following a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, the politician said that Copenhagen should accept the fact that the island wants to gain independence from Denmark, and also said that the United States would not allow Greenland to depend on China.
"The people of Greenland have made it clear that they want to be independent from Denmark. Denmark should focus on the fact that Greenland does not want to be part of Denmark. We didn't give them this idea, they've been talking about it for a long time. When they want to, they will make that decision. But what we (USA — Izvestia) are not going to do is let China come now and offer them (the Greenlanders. — Izvestia) a lot of money to make them dependent on China," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Danish Police Intelligence Service (PET) reported that Greenland is the target of "various kinds of influence campaigns." In addition, the PET noted that the service maintains a "constant and close dialogue" with the island's authorities on threats, methods of influence and the provision of appropriate measures to counter "enemy" forces.
The sources of the TV and radio company also claim that the "secret strategy of the Trump administration to capture Greenland" is divided into three stages. At first, it was supposed to conduct a campaign to win the sympathy of the island's residents — it included a visit by Donald Trump Jr. to Nuuk back in the winter. Then, according to reports, a "stage of pressure on Denmark" followed, when US Vice President Jay Dee Vance visited the American Pituffik base in Greenland in March and criticized Denmark for insufficiently ensuring the safety of the island's residents. "In the spring, the strategy will enter the third phase, which will be aimed at infiltrating Greenlandic society," the sources said.
However, the DR noted that one thing is not completely clear: the "agents" are acting on the orders of Donald Trump or on their own initiative. A representative of the American government responded to these statements. He stressed that "individual U.S. citizens may have interests in Greenland," but the U.S. government cannot control and direct the actions of all politicians and other private individuals.
Commenting on information about "American influence campaigns" on the island, Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said they were unacceptable, adding that the lack of respect for allies could lead to difficulties in further constructive cooperation. "Of course, this is unacceptable, but it's not news to us... if you think you can easily influence the Greenlanders, then it won't work. We are allies, and we need to be treated with respect, just like others. If this does not happen, it is difficult to expect constructive cooperation," the politician said in an interview with the Danish TV channel TV2.
Golden Mountains
Bloomberg, citing the administration of Donald Trump, reported that the Pentagon and other US ministries are working to create favorable conditions for doing American business. "Agencies from the Pentagon to the Department of Energy are working to make Greenland an attractive business destination for American industries, from mining critical minerals to fishing," the agency writes.
As the interlocutor of the publication emphasizes, the Trump administration finds the Greenland deposit of rare earth metals Tunbridge "an important source" of replenishment of the national reserves of the United States. This reserve is reported to be of great strategic importance for the security of the State. It is also emphasized that the White House is aware of the possible difficulties associated with the development of the field, but this does not prevent the American president and his team from looking for all possible solutions to the problem.
Earlier, The Washington Post, citing sources, reported that Greenland is interested in investments from Europe and the United States, but is afraid of China in financial matters. Back in January, Greenland's Minister of Business, Trade, Mineral Resources, Justice and Gender Equality, Naaya Nathanielsen, said there were good opportunities for American investors on the island. In her opinion, the mining industry has great potential to strengthen supply chains in the United States, as the island is home to many minerals that are critically important to America.
"(Nathanielsen. — Izvestia) She stated that Greenland is interested in European and American investments and is wary of Chinese ones," the newspaper writes.
More than 80% of the island's territory is covered with ice, but in its depths, as in the rest of the Arctic region, there are many valuable minerals and rare earth metals: gas, oil, uranium, neodymium, dysprosium, terbium and others. They are necessary for modern high-tech industries. However, more than 70% is mined in China, with which the United States is waging a trade war. With the melting of glaciers, the extraction of materials becomes easier.
Forced "Spiral"
Against the background of news about the growing American influence in Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen decided to apologize to all the residents of the island who underwent forced contraception in the 1960s. The corresponding statement was published on the website of the Office of the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Denmark on August 27.
"On behalf of Denmark, I would like to say: I'm sorry. Sorry, girls and women who have been systematically discriminated against. Because they are Greenlanders," the text of the statement says.
Frederiksen also noted that the Danish government cannot undo the events of the past and prevent discrimination, but it is ready to take responsibility for those events. The Prime Minister said that her cabinet is now awaiting the results of the investigation into the case.
In the 1960s, Greenland had a compulsory contraception program called Spiral. These measures were introduced to control the birth rate on the island. As part of the program, underage girls and women in labor had intrauterine devices installed without their knowledge. More than 140 Greenlandic women have filed lawsuits against the Danish government, demanding compensation totaling about 500 million rubles for the events they experienced.
Making Greenland American for the first time
Nikita Belukhin, a junior researcher at the Department of European Political Studies at the IMEMO of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia that the United States has certain rights to expand military infrastructure, and therefore American influence in Greenland, in connection with previously concluded agreements. According to the expert, now the Arctic territory of the Danish kingdom is more a cause for concern than an instrument of advantage in dialogue with the United States.
— Attempts to talk about Greenland's independence and secession are rather designed to create additional pressure on Copenhagen, to force it to act more actively, although, in fact, the legal framework for expanding the American military presence on the island already exists, and it cannot be said that the Greenlanders themselves strongly oppose such steps. Previously, Greenland was perceived as a special advantage in Denmark's dialogue with the United States, but now it has rather become a source of concern, the expert believes.
In turn, Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada, shared with Izvestia the opinion that the annexation of Greenland to the United States is a matter of time. Speaking about Greenland in the same April interview for the Times, Donald Trump said that joining the United States would bring great economic benefits to the island's residents, and security guarantees to Washington. The head of the White House also said that he did not mind being remembered as the president who enlarged the territory of the United States.
— This is a bomb that is planted under the American-European relations. Now, through the lines of the American special services or, accordingly, commercial and non-profit organizations, a command has been given to begin work with the population of Greenland regarding the accession. Today, it's just a matter of time. <...> When there is a window of opportunity, I think Trump will, as they say, press the button and play out the situation. Everything is being prepared in such a way as to resolve this issue in one blow," the expert states.
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