Photo credit: The Guardian
The United States has deployed a North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) aircraft to Greenland as tensions rise over President Donald Trump’s move to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The Week reports that NORAD said the aircraft would soon arrive at Pituffik Space Base to support a range of long-planned activities. The command stressed that the deployment was coordinated with both Denmark and Greenland.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada has joined a chorus of world leaders critical of Trump’s “serious” threat of sweeping tariffs on European allies to pressure Denmark into negotiations over Greenland.
The move is sparking protests across the Arctic and sharp rebukes from Europe and Canada.
Trump had announced that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France would be facing a tariff of 10 per cent from February 1.
There are also reports that Denmark has sent additional troops to Greenland amid Trump’s threat to take control of the self-governing Danish country.
AlJazeera reports that the chief of the Royal Danish Army, Peter Boysen, and a “substantial contribution” of soldiers landed in Kaugerlussuaq in western Greenland on Monday.
The deployment came hours after Trump declined to rule out using military force to take control of the vast, mineral-rich Arctic territory, which the US president claims is vital to Washington’s security.
