Incoming US president Donald Trump has continued a hard push to take over Greenland in a provocative and headline-grabbing speech on his territorial ambitions for the United States.
That came after a social media post in which he said a US takeover of the Arctic territory “must happen”.
During a speech and press conference in Florida on Tuesday evening local time, Trump was heavy on intimidation but light on details -- leaving many wondering how seriously the comments should be taken.
Speaking in his usual rambling style at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump said he would not rule out using military or economic coercion to acquire Greenland as well as the Panama Canal.
"I am not going to commit to that (no military action). It might be that you have to do something," Trump told reporters.
"We need them for economic security," he said.
A day earlier, Trump called Greenland "an incredible place", promising that its people would prosper should it ever be annexed by Washington.
"We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
And on Tuesday, he wrote that the island needed "safety, security, strength and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen."
EXPLAINER: How easily could Greenland break away from Denmark?
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told national broadcaster TV2 she did not believe Trump's pursuit would result in military action.
"I don't have the fantasy to imagine that it'll ever get to that," she said, calling for cool heads to prevail.
"As a very close ally of the United States, I think there is reason to be happy about the increasing American interest. But it will have to be done in a way that is respectful of the Greenlandic people," she said.
The Danish PM also stressed that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders."
Also on Tuesday, Trump’s son Don Jr, landed in the Arctic territory for a “tourist visit” that served to create a hefty dose of attention and hype around the incoming president’s designs on Greenland.
Trump Jr could be seen meeting local residents at the airport and was photographed in Nuuk with members of his entourage.
He insisted that he was not there "to buy Greenland".
"I will be talking to people. I'm just going there as a tourist," he said on the social media platform Rumble.
Greenlandic media said Trump Jr. left Greenland after several hours, and no official meetings were held.
"This particular trip is probably just as Trump Jr. said himself, to make video content," Ulrik Pram Gad, a Greenland expert at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told AFP.
"What's worrying is the way Trump [Senior] is talking about international relations, and it can be even worse if he starts 'grabbing land'," he said.
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