Denmark to buy US patrol planes despite Greenland rift
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The Boeing P-8A Poseidon is a maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – The US said on Dec 29 it had approved a US$1.8 billion (S$2.3 billion) sale of patrol aircraft to Denmark, despite renewed tension after an envoy of President Donald Trump called again for seizing Greenland
The State Department said it approved a request from Denmark to buy the P-8A patrol and reconnaissance system from Boeing, which will include up to three aircraft.
The sale will “support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe”, the department said in a notification to Congress.
One week earlier, the State Department approved a separate sale of nearly US$1 billion in air-to-air missiles to Denmark.
The US has long pushed NATO allies to pay more on defence, with Mr Trump seeking to reduce the US footprint in Europe despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But Europeans have been shocked by Mr Trump’s tone on Greenland, which is an autonomous Danish territory.
Mr Trump earlier in December appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland. Mr Landry immediately vowed to work to make the Arctic island “a part of the US”, leading Denmark to summon the US ambassador
Mr Trump has refused to rule out seizing Greenland by force, insisting that the US needs the resource-rich island for its own security. AFP
