10 January,2026 04:25 PM IST | Washington DC | mid-day online correspondent
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he departs from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on Friday. PIC/AFP
President Donald Trump on Friday once again emphasised the need for the United States (US) to take action on Greenland, warning that if Washington did not act, Russia and China could move in, news agency ANI reported. He added that he would prefer to reach a deal "the easy way", but if not, the US would act "the hard way".
Speaking to mediapersons during a meeting with top oil and gas executives, Trump said, "We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don't do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland - and we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbour. I would like to make a deal the easy way but if we don't do it the easy way, we're going to do it the hard way."
The US President, while stressing his appreciation for Denmark, said, "And by the way, I'm a fan of Denmark as well. They've been very nice to me. I'm a big fan, but the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land. We had lots of boats go there also. But we need that because if you take a look outside of Greenland right now, there are Russian destroyers, Chinese destroyers, and bigger, Russian submarines all over the place. We're not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland, and that's what they're going to do if we don't. We will do something with Greenland either the nice way or the difficult way."
When asked why it was important to "own" Greenland, given the US already has a military presence that could be expanded, Trump said "countries need to have ownership to defend ownership".
"When we own it we defend it. You don't defend leases the same way. You have to own it. Countries have to have ownership, and you defend ownership. You don't defend leases. If we don't do it, China or Russia will. That's not going to happen⦠NATO has to understand that. I'm all for NATO. I saved it. If it weren't for me, NATO would not be there," said the US President.
Trump has renewed his push to take over the semi-autonomous Danish territory, rich in natural resources including rare earth minerals, uranium, and iron. The new push follows the US military operation in Venezuela over the weekend to seize President Nicolas Maduro, which Trump cited as a pre-emptive move to prevent Chinese or Russian influence.
For decades, the US has viewed Greenland as strategically significant, and the Trump administration has again placed the island at the centre of its Arctic policy, reviving discussions on altering the Danish territory's status. Trump had previously proposed buying Greenland in 2019, only to be told it was not for sale.
Trump also criticised wind energy in Europe, calling windmills "losers" and "the worst form of energy", ANI reported.
He added, "They lose money, they destroy your landscape, they kill your birds, they are all made in China⦠China uses coal, oil, and gas, and some nuclear, but they don't have windmills. They make them and sell them to suckers like Europe and the United States before. They are the most expensive form of energy."
The remarks come days after Trump signed a memorandum directing the US withdrawal from international organisations, conventions, and treaties deemed "contrary to the interests" of the country. The move covers 35 non-UN organisations and 31 UN bodies, including the India- and France-led International Solar Alliance, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), among others.
(With ANI inputs)
