Denmark is strengthening Greenland's defense following Trump's remarks about wanting to take control of the island.

The Danish government has announced a significant increase in defense spending for Greenland just hours after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump expressed interest in purchasing the world's largest Arctic island.

Source. This is reported by BBC.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated that the defense package will amount to "a double-digit figure in billions" in Danish kroner, or at least $1.5 billion.

The day before, Trump claimed that ownership and control over the vast island is an "absolute necessity" for the United States.

Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark, hosts a large American space base called Thule Air Base. The island holds strategic significance for the U.S. as it lies on the shortest route to Europe. Greenland also possesses substantial mineral and oil reserves.

Minister Poulsen mentioned that the allocated funds will enable the acquisition of two new inspection vessels, two new long-range drones, and two additional dog sled teams.

The package also includes funding to increase the staff of the Arctic Command in the capital Nuuk and to upgrade one of Greenland's three main civilian airports to accommodate modern F-35 fighter jets.

"We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years; now we plan to strengthen our presence," he stated.

The Defense Minister did not specify the exact amount of the package, but Danish media estimated it to be around 12-15 billion kroner.

This announcement came a day after Trump stated on his social media platform Truth Social:

"For national security and freedom worldwide, the United States believes that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."

The Prime Minister of Greenland, Múte Egede, immediately responded to this situation.

"Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom," he replied.

Analysts say that the strengthening of the island's defense has been discussed for a long time and is not a direct response to Trump's comments.

So far, Denmark has been very slow to expand its military capabilities in Greenland, according to observers, but if the country cannot protect the waters surrounding the territory from encroachments by China and Russia, then U.S. demands for increased control are likely to grow.

Steen Kjærgaard from the Danish Defense Academy suggests that Trump likely intentionally pressured Denmark to take this step.

"I think Trump acted wisely... By raising his voice, he made Denmark prioritize its Arctic military capabilities, and in doing so, he (Trump) does not have to take the blame," he said, referring to Greenland's strong dependence on subsidies from Copenhagen.

During his first term, Trump proposed in 2019 that the U.S. buy Greenland. The idea was immediately categorically rejected by both Denmark and the island's authorities.

Background. Recall that Trump is interested not only in Greenland but also in Canada and the Panama Canal. Trump's son posts memes on social media about his father purchasing these three entities on Amazon.