Former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said there is nothing that’s stopping the Americans from setting up more bases in Greenland amid the territory’s fight to not be acquired by the U.S.
Thorning-Schmidt joined CNN on Sunday, where she was asked about what the Trump administration wants from Greenland, the land owned by Denmark.
“There is a treaty from 1951 where it is very clear that the Americans have huge access to Greenland,” she said.
Thorning-Schmidt questioned if it was time for Denmark to “scale up” on the island.
“The irony of all this is that the Americans could do exactly the same,” she said. “Greenland is NATO territory. There’s nothing stopping the Americans from getting more engaged militarily in Greenland, having more bases, if that’s what they want.”
She noted that during World War II, the U.S. had 16 bases in Greenland but has since reduced that total to one.
That base, Thorning-Schmidt said, is the one that Vice President Vance visited late last week.
Vance and other Trump administration officials traveled to Greenland after months of the president reiterating his desire to acquire the territory, despite pushback from Denmark and Greenland.
While there, the vice president said the U.S. had no plans to expand its military presence on the island and slammed Denmark for failing to prioritize the territory’s security.
Thorning-Schmidt said the remarks were a bit insulting.
“I must say that we are taken aback by the language used by the vice president on Friday. First of all, this whole talk about Denmark not being a good ally, that is simply not true. And it is a little bit insulting, to be honest, that we have stood side by side with America for decades,” she said.
