Despite increased tension following President Donald Trump’s envoy’s repeated calls for the seizure of Greenland, the United States announced on Monday that it had approved a $1.8 billion sale of patrol aircraft to Denmark.
Denmark’s request to purchase the P-8A patrol and reconnaissance system from Boeing, which will comprise up to three aircraft, was authorized by the State Department.
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,” according to a notification to Congress from the State Department.
One week earlier, the State Department approved a separate sale of nearly $1 billion in air-to-air missiles to Denmark.
The United States has long pushed NATO allies to pay more on defense, with Trump seeking to reduce the US footprint in Europe despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But Europeans have been shocked by Trump’s tone on Greenland, which is an autonomous Danish territory.
Trump earlier this month appointed the governor of Louisiana state, Jeff Landry, as a special envoy to Greenland. Landry immediately vowed to work to make the Arctic island “a part of the US,” leading Denmark to summon the US ambassador.
Trump has refused to rule out seizing Greenland by force, insisting that the United States needs the resource-rich island for its own security.
