The political scientist explained Trump's strategic goals regarding Greenland

If US President Donald Trump implements the plan to annex Greenland, he will go down in history not only for his country, but for the whole world. This opinion was expressed by political scientist Yuri Svetov in a conversation with Izvestia on January 18.

"Let's remember January 1948. 78 years ago, a resolution was submitted to the United States Congress proposing to buy Greenland as an island vital to the interests of the United States. Trump continues the line that originated in the United States a long time ago, during the Second World War," he said.

Svetov stressed that the main motive is not Trump's personal vanity, but the strategic interests of the United States. According to the expert, Greenland is needed by America to deploy elements of the missile defense system ("golden dome"), control over the Arctic Ocean, where Russian submarines are active, and to gain advantages in the development of the Northern Sea Route.

Also, according to the political scientist, the island has significant reserves of minerals, including lithium, which will reduce dependence on China. Svetov recalled that the idea of buying Greenland was discussed in the US Congress back in the twentieth century, and Denmark had previously sold its territories to the States.

Svetov added that Trump is building a policy around the slogan "Make America great again," striving to turn the country into a self-sufficient "fortress" controlling the entire Western Hemisphere, and is preparing successors to continue this line after 2028.

Buy it, Don: Americans oppose Trump's foreign policy projects

The 47th president is trying to achieve political victories by the 2026 congressional elections.

NBC reported on January 14 that the United States could pay up to $700 billion for the purchase of Greenland if the American leader could reach an appropriate deal. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on January 13 that the island's residents want to stay with Denmark. Later, he noted that he considered the "repeated rhetoric" of the United States regarding the island to be disrespectful and unacceptable.

On January 17, Trump announced that Washington was imposing duties of 10% with the possibility of increasing up to 25% on a number of European countries due to the situation around Greenland. Starting from February 1, 2026, tariffs will apply to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Finland.

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