Denmark prepared for a potential attack from the U.S. in January by flying troops, explosives and bags of blood into Greenland, according to a new report.
Danish soldiers were deployed to Greenland with the intention of foiling any attempt by U.S. military aircraft to land soldiers on the island if Donald Trump tried to take the isolated island by force.
The explosives would have been used to destroy runways in Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq, preventing the U.S. aircraft from landing on the island, Danish broadcaster DR reported after speaking to top officials in the Danish government and the intelligence services of Denmark, France and Germany.
When Trump was issuing thinly veiled threats that he would seize Greenland, residents and Danish officials were reportedly facing an “unprecedented year with sleepless nights,” according to the report, citing the sources.
When the report was put to the White House by The Independent, it responded: “As the President has stated, an agreement is being worked on, and will be amazing for the U.S.A. Greenland is a strategically important location that is critical from the standpoint of national security, and this deal is very important to advancing U.S. national security.”
In January, Trump had been fixated on Greenland – asserting that its position between Russia, Europe and North America makes it a key location from a national security standpoint.
Additionally, Greenland’s Arctic location makes it a lucrative place to control shipping, especially as the polar ice caps melt. The island is rich in natural minerals and resources that the U.S. does not have readily available.
A French official told DR that the political leadership and the defence and security apparatus in Denmark had decided to “play the game.” While it wanted to avoid an escalation with the U.S., it was not prepared to bow to U.S. military superiority, the sources said.
“We would do almost everything Denmark had asked for,” the French official said. “Would you like more soldiers? You could have them. Would you like more naval support? You could have that. Would you like more air support? You could have that too.”
The sources said the Trump administration’s attack on Venezuela and the arrest of its President Nicolas Maduro was the moment it became clear to Greenland and Denmark that they had to be prepared for any eventuality.
“When Trump keeps saying he wants to take over Greenland, and then what happened in Venezuela happened, we had to take all scenarios seriously,” the source said. They said the “official US is not functioning as usual”, adding: “Trump doesn't have the same level of people around him as before who would talk him out of it. It's super dangerous.”
