Trump makes territorial claims against another country: War could break out within NATO

US President-elect Donald Trump has reiterated a wish to purchase Greenland from Denmark. This is not his first unexpected foreign policy initiative. Recently, the Financial Times reported Trump’s purported plans to demand that NATO allies raise their defense spending to five percent of GDP, up from the two percent level agreed in 2006, as reported by Vedomosti.
Trump first expressed interest in purchasing Greenland back in 2019. Analysts believe this desire is driven by the island’s strategic location in the Arctic, where a race for the region’s resources is underway. According to publicly available data, Greenland possesses reserves of valuable resources, including gold, silver, copper, and uranium.
Washington is also strategically interested in Greenland from a military perspective, Vladimir Vasilyev, senior research fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for US and CanadianStudies, explained. According to the expert, the island could host intermediate-range missiles capable of reaching Russia. Furthermore, the idea of purchasing Greenland should be viewed as an attempt to counter China’s growing influence in the region. "In the near future, Trump will try to accomplish what he didn’t have time to achieve during his first term, including addressing the Greenland issue," the analyst observed.
Greenland is just one of several territories and strategic assets Trump has recently mentioned acquiring or reclaiming. In early December, the incoming US president referred to Canada as his country’s 51st state. On December 22, Trump turned his attention to the Panama Canal, built by the US in the early 20th century and handed over to Panama in 1999. Trump’s primary objection to the canal’s administration is the high cost of its services. Meanwhile, Panama’s President Raul Mulino Quintero has stated that he has no intention of giving the canal away to anyone.
By discussing his expansionist ambitions, Trump aims to position himself as more than just another US president, presenting himself as a leader of a distinct and impactful nature, Andrey Kortunov, research director of the Russian International Affairs Council, noted. While the likelihood of the US purchasing Greenland remains slim, Trump is once again highlighting his determination to pursue major deals, such as resolving conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.