Donald Trump says he believes the United States will “get Greenland”

President Donald Trump said he believes the United States will gain control of Greenland after showing renewed interest in acquiring autonomous Danish territory in recent weeks.

“I think we'll have it,” he told Air Force One reporters on Saturday, adding that 57,000 residents of the island “want to be with us”.

His comments come after announcements that Danish Prime Minister Mete Fredericksen insisted that Greenland was not for sale in a flaming telephone conversation with the President last week.

Trump pointed out the prospect of buying the vast Arctic territory during his first term in 2019 and said American control over Greenland was an “absolute necessity” for international security.

“I think people want to be with us,” Trump told a question about the island in the presidential aircraft press center.

“I really do not know what claims Denmark is about this, but it would be a very enemy act if they did not allow this to happen, because it is to protect the free world,” he added.

“I think we will receive Greenland because it is related to the freedom of the world,” Trump continued.

“This has nothing to do with the United States, except that we are the ones who can provide freedom. They can't. “

Despite Trump's apparent confidence, Greenland's Prime Ministers and Denmark have previously said that the island is not for sale.

Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede said the use of land on the territory was “work of Greenland”, although it expressed the desire to to work in a closer cooperation with the US on defense and mining issuesS

Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen said earlier this month that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlands” and only the local population can determine its future.

Fredericksen confirmed his position in a heated 45-minute telephone conversation with Trump last week, According to a report from the Financial Times.

The newspaper cites an anonymous European employee who says the conversation was “horrifying” and another says Trump's interest in gaining Greenland is “serious and potentially very dangerous”.

The Danish prime minister is reported to have insisted that the island is not for sale, but noted the “great interest” of the United States to it.

Greenland is located on the shortest road from North America to Europe, making it strategically important to the United States. It is also home to a large US space facility.

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the natural resources of Greenland, including the extraction of editorial minerals, uranium and iron.

Although the island has a broad autonomy, it remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

But there is a common consensus in Greenland that it will eventually become independent, which can pave the way for a new kind of relations with the United States.

President Trump's claim that Greenland's people “want to be with us” may be a surprise to some of the island's residents.

Fishing boat captain in the village of Capissilit said to the BBC Trump was “welcome to visit” the island, but that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlands”.

The elder of the local Kaalirac Ringstead church said Trump's language was “unacceptable”, adding that Greenland is not for sale.

have several ways Trump can pursue his desire to take over the territory. Asked earlier in January if he could rule out the use of military or economic power, Trump said he could not.

His recent comments shook the Danish political headline, causing highly organized high -level meetings in Copenhagen earlier this monthS