America is seeking to start immediate talks on acquiring the island, the US president has said

US President Donald Trump has declared that Greenland is American territory and called for immediate talks with Denmark to bring the Arctic island under US control, describing the move as essential for US national security and for NATO.

Trump made the remarks on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying Washington wants Denmark to open negotiations on transferring sovereignty over the island.

The US president has long sought US control over the autonomous Danish territory, which has a population of around 56,000, claiming that the island is critical for countering what he describes as threats from Russia and China.

Both Moscow and Beijing have rejected these claims. Russia has condemned what it calls NATO's accelerated militarization of the Arctic.

"This enormous, unsecured island is actually part of North America. It's on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere, our Hemisphere," Trump told the audience, arguing that the US, rather than its European allies, is best placed to protect the territory.

"There is no force in NATO capable of protecting Greenland except the United States. Our acquisition of Greenland will not undermine NATO, but will strengthen it," he said.

Trump said the US wants Denmark to agree to a transfer of sovereignty so that his proposed Golden Dome missile defense system can be built on the island. "What we want is a piece of ice that's capable of protecting global peace," he stated.

The president also claimed that US troops took over Greenland's defense after Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II. "We were compelled to act and sent our forces to hold Greenland. After World War Two, we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that. But we did it," Trump said.

He added that the US would be "grateful" if the proposal regarding Greenland is accepted, but would remember a refusal. Trump previously said he will seek to acquire the island "the easy way or the hard way."

(RT.com)