US President Donald Trump has declared that America will acquire Greenland "one way or another" during his first address to Congress.
Trump made a direct appeal to Greenlanders, saying: "We strongly support your right to determine your own future. And if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America."
The President emphasised that the US needs the Danish territory for "national security and even international security".
In his address, Trump promised Greenlanders: "We will keep you safe, we will make you rich, and together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before."
US President Donald Trump has claimed he will secure Greenland 'one way or another'
Reuters
The President described the territory as "a very small population, but a very, very large piece of land, and very, very important for military security."
Trump's comments came after months of increasingly aggressive rhetoric towards the self-governing Danish territory.
The US leader reiterated that his administration is "working with everybody involved to try and get it" while suggesting the acquisition is inevitable.
"I think we're going to get it—one way or the other we're gonna get it," Trump said, drawing laughter from fellow Republicans in the chamber.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Trump delivered the longest speech given by a US President to Congress in history, topping 100 minutes
Reuters
According to a January poll, the majority of Greenlanders, about 85 percent, oppose the idea of becoming part of the United States.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has described Trump's call for the US to purchase the territory as "absurd."
Greenland's pro-independence Prime Minister Múte Egede has stated his people "don't want to be Americans."
Trump has previously refused to rule out using economic coercion or military force to take Greenland, alarming Copenhagen and Nuuk.
Trump stated that America 'needs' Greenland
Reuters
Denmark, a Nato ally, has bitterly rejected Trump's overtures about acquiring the island, which date back at least to 2019.
"The future of Greenland is really for the people of Greenland to decide," Denmark's UN Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen told reporters on Monday.
Lassen added that Denmark agreed with the Trump administration on strengthening security around the Arctic, noting they've "been working very closely with the US on security matters related to Greenland and the Arctic for decades."
The world's largest island has a population of around 60,000 and hosts an American air base in its frozen far north.
