The government of Denmark, which controls key aspects of the autonomous territory of Greenland, has announced a major boost to the Arctic island’s defense spending, just hours after President-elect Donald Trump repeated his desire to purchase Greenland, citing security imperatives.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on Dec. 24 that the defense package would amount to at least $1.5 billion, while calling the timing of the spending boost “ironic” in light of Trump’s recent remarks.
Trump said on Dec. 22 that U.S. control and ownership of Greenland—a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark—is “an absolute necessity” for “national security and freedom throughout the world.”…