Trump warns 'sick' South American leader, reiterates 'we need Greenland' for national security
President Donald Trump on Sunday issued warnings about Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s political future and renewed threats to annex Greenland.
Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, was initially responding to questions about a U.S. military operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as well as the future of Venezuela, when he shifted his focus to another South American country.
"Columbia's very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he's not going to be doing it very long. Let me tell you," Trump said.
When pressed by a reporter to clarify his remarks, Trump claimed that Petro has "cocaine mills and cocaine factories."
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"So there will be an operation by the U.S. in Colombia?" the reporter asked.
"It sounds good to me," Trump responded.
His attention then turned to Greenland, where he once again expressed an interest in acquiring the Danish territory.
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"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it," Trump said.
"We need Greenland from a national security situation. It's so strategic," he added.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen sharply rebuked Trump’s comments, urging him to cease what she described as baseless threats against a close ally.
"The Kingdom of Denmark - and thus Greenland - is part of NATO and is thus covered by the alliance's security guarantee. We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the USA today, which gives the USA wide access to Greenland. And we have invested significantly on the part of the Kingdom in the security of the Arctic," said Frederiksen in a press release.
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"I would therefore strongly urge that the U.S. stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale," Frederiksen added.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and Denmark's Ambassador to the United States Jesper Møller Sørensen all voiced strong support for Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland after Trump’s comment, stressing that Greenland’s future should be determined by Greenland and Denmark alone.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen condemned Trump’s remarks as deeply "disrespectful" in a statement posted on Facebook.
"Our country is not an object of superpower rhetoric. We are a people. A land. And democracy. This has to be respected. Especially by close and loyal friends," Nielsen wrote in part.
"Threats, pressure and talk of annexation do not belong anywhere between friends," he added. "That’s not how you talk to a people who have repeatedly shown responsibility, stability and loyalty. This is enough."