Trump Faces Setback in Greenland! Dream of U.S. Merger Shattered?

Copenhagen: Donald Trump has been talking about making Greenland a part of America. But do the people of Greenland want to become a part of America? A survey has revealed a big thing about the Arctic island, which Trump is not going to like at all. A survey released on Tuesday said that 85 percent of Greenland's people do not want Greenland to become a part of America. Greenland is a territory of Denmark. Danish newspaper Berlingske has given information related to the survey. At the same time, France is considering sending its army to Greenland after Trump's threat.

US President Donald Trump said earlier this month that Greenland is vital to US security and that Denmark should give up control of the strategically important island. A survey by pollster Varian, commissioned by the Danish paper, showed only 6% of Greenlanders support becoming part of the US, while 9% have no opinion.

Denmark to increase military

Denmark said on Monday it would spend 14.6 billion crowns ($2.04 billion) to boost its military presence in the Arctic. Greenland – which has a land area larger than Mexico and a population of 57,000 – was granted broad self-rule autonomy in 2009, including the right to declare independence from Denmark through a referendum.

Greenland's Prime Minister Mut Egede has pushed for independence. He has repeatedly said the island is not for sale and its people have the right to decide their own future. The US military has a permanent presence in northwestern Greenland at the Pitufik Space Base, a strategic location for its ballistic missile early warning system, as the shortest route from Europe to North America goes through the island.

France to send troops to Greenland

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France is considering deploying troops to Greenland in response to Donald Trump's comments about annexing Greenland, Turkish news outlet Anadolu Agency reported. Barrot confirmed that France discussed the issue with Denmark but stressed there were no immediate plans for action. He said in an interview that it was not Denmark's wish.