'Need it': Trump refuses to let go of Greenland

LATEST ASSERTION FOLLOWS NAMING OF SPECIAL ENVOY

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President Donald Trump yesterday reiterated that the United States needed Greenland for “national security” after his appointment of a special envoy to the Danish Arctic island triggered a new spat with Copenhagen.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly said the United States “needs” the resource-rich autonomous territory for security reasons and has refused to rule out using force to secure it.

Trump on Sunday appointed Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, prompting anger from Denmark, which summoned the US ambassador.

‘Not for minerals’

“We need Greenland for national security. Not for minerals,” Trump told a news conference in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.

“If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” he said.