DONALD Trump has threatened to pull US troops out of Europe as he renewed his demand to take control of Greenland.
The US President used the NATO summit in Ankara to blast allies for refusing to back his bid to annex the Danish territory – warning they should not take America’s military protection for granted.
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Donald Trump has threatened to pull US troops out of europe Credit: AP
President Donald Trump gestures during a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey Credit: AP
Mr Trump said on Tuesday Greenland was vital to US security because it was surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships and insisted the Arctic island “should be controlled by the United States”.
He said: “That’s what hurt my relationship with Nato, because Greenland doesn’t help Denmark.
“Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the United States, and it’s surrounded by China ships and Russian ships, and that’s not going to happen.”
Mr Trump added: “And when they wouldn’t go along with it, and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia, and we don’t have to spend any money, we could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe, because, as you probably noticed, Europe’s a very different place than it was 20 years ago, lot different, much different, much different, and they better be careful with immigration and energy.
“If they’re not careful with those two things, you’re not going to have a Europe anymore.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other European leaders have previously backed Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland.
The comments risk overshadowing the NATO gathering, where allies are trying to present a united front against Russia.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves hit back, insisting the future of Greenland was “up to the people of Greenland and of Denmark, and not up to the US president”.
She said: “I’ve been very clear about that ever since it was first suggested.”
