Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent argued that President Donald Trump‘s planned acquisition of Greenland was part of the preparations for a future “battle in the Arctic.”
In an interview on NBC News’s Meet the Press, Bessent laid out the Trump administration‘s argument for acquiring Greenland, saying it was an essential part of a wider grand strategic vision from the president to preempt future threats from Russia and China.
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“What we can see is that Greenland is essential to the U.S. national security. We’re building the Golden Dome, the missile system, and look, President Trump … is being strategic. He’s looking beyond this year. He’s looking beyond next year to what could happen for a battle in the Arctic. We are not going to outsource our national security. We are not going to outsource our hemispheric security to other countries,” he said.
Bessent argued that while a Russian or Chinese move on Greenland might not come within the next few years, it was a real threat in the near future.
“Let me tell you what will happen … and it might not be next year, might not be in five years, but down the road, this fight for the Arctic is real,” Bessent said.
“If there were an attack on Greenland from Russia, from some other area, we would get dragged in. So better now, peace through strength, make it part of the United States, and there will not be a conflict,” he added.
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Bessent also argued that Europe was unable to properly defend itself, as illustrated by its reliance on the U.S. to combat Russia in the war in Ukraine. He expressed his faith that European leaders would “come around” to allowing a U.S. purchase of Greenland.
Trans-Atlantic relations have hit rough waters amid renewed U.S. pressure to acquire Greenland after interest had declined for months. On Saturday, Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland after they pushed back against his effort to acquire the world’s largest island; tariffs are set to increase to 25% in June. The European Union has scrambled to respond, calling an emergency meeting in Brussels on Sunday.
