After President-elect Donald Trump publicly expressed his interest in purchasing Greenland, Denmark quickly voiced its displeasure and responded by significantly increasing its defense spending for the territory.
On Tuesday, Denmark’s Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen, unveiled a new defense budget package for Greenland. While he did not provide an exact figure, he indicated that the investment would be in the “billions of kroner.”
Danish media outlets estimate that the defense package could cost between 12 and 15 billion kroner, or approximately $1.5 billion.
The bolstered budget will fund various military upgrades, including two surveillance vessels, two long-range drones, and two dog sled units. Additionally, it will strengthen the Arctic Command in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, and upgrade one of Greenland’s three civilian airports to accommodate F-35 fighter jets. “We’ve underinvested in the Arctic region recently,” Poulsen stated. Now, we’re committed to enhancing our military presence there.”
The Danish announcement came just one day after Trump took to the social media platform Truth Social to assert that the U.S. “absolutely needs ownership and control of Greenland for national security and global freedom.” The timing of Denmark’s response is widely seen as a direct reaction to Trump’s comments.
Greenland, the world’s largest island, is an autonomous territory of Denmark. The Danish government manages its defense and foreign affairs.
This isn’t Trump’s first time expressing interest in acquiring Greenland. During his first term as president, he cited the island’s rich natural resources, including rare earth elements, and its strategic geopolitical importance as reasons the U.S. should control the territory. His recent comments indicate that the issue remains a priority for him.
However, Danish officials have warned against overinterpreting the timing of their defense budget announcement. They emphasize that the new policy was long in the works and that any connection to Trump’s remarks is purely coincidental. Poulsen referred to the timing as “an ironic twist of fate.”