Former national security adviser Robert O’Brien said in an interview on Sunday that if Denmark cannot defend its own country, the United States should be allowed to “buy” Greenland, noting that the territory will become increasingly important in the coming years.
In an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” O’Brien described Greenland as a “highway from the North Pole to North America” and noted that the autonomous nation, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, would become increasingly developed. This will be important as the climate warms in the coming years.
“As the climate warms, the Arctic will become a conduit to reduce use of the Panama Canal, making it strategically important for the Arctic to become a critical battlefield in the future.” O’Brien said.
The discussion on purchasing Greenland can also be seen as a national security play. The Arctic is a key region as the United States seeks to compete with Russia and China, and competition is becoming more intense as ice melt opens up new shipping routes.
O’Brien quoted President-elect Trump as saying the United States would not defend Greenland for free.
“Russia and China are all over the Arctic,” O’Brien said. “The Kingdom of Denmark owns Greenland and has a duty to defend it. So President Trump said, ‘Defend Greenland or we will buy it and defend it.’ But we will not defend it for free, and we will not develop Greenland or extract its minerals, oil and resources.’”
“Denmark is currently on the front lines of the war with Russia and China. They are like the Baltic countries. Because of Greenland’s vast territory, they are like Poland. So they have to defend Greenland,” O’Brien added. “And if they can’t defend it, we’re going to have to do it, and we’re not going to do it for free.”
Alternatively, O’Brien said, if Denmark did not want to pay the United States for the defense of Greenland, the United States could wrest the territory out of Danish hands.
“They could allow us to buy Greenland from (Denmark), and Greenland could become part of Alaska. I mean, the indigenous people of Greenland have a very close connection to the people of Alaska and we’re going to make that a part of Alaska,” O’Brien said.
In a Truth Social post announcing his nomination to be ambassador to Denmark last week, Trump declared that U.S. ownership of the island territory is “absolutely necessary.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Eged dismissed Trump’s comments, saying Greenland “will never be for sale,” while Denmark announced a new package to strengthen security on the Arctic island.