Photo: Screenshot of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen delivering defiant message to Trump's Greenland annexation plan on X

US President Donald Trump's fresh claim of US "absolutely" needing Greenland for defense has met immediate opposition from leaders of Denmark and Greenland, who urged the US to stop threatening to take over the Danish territory.

Trump reiterated his wish to do so in a phone interview with The Atlantic magazine on Sunday local time, claiming Venezuela may not be the last country subject to American intervention and that the US "absolutely" needs Greenland for defense. 

"It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday, Reuters reported. 

Trump said during the interview it was up to others to decide what US-military action in Venezuela means for Greenland. "You know, I wasn't referring to Greenland at that time. But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense."

Trump made the abovementioned remarks after the US forcibly seized Venezuelan president and his wife and said Washington would run the Latin American country, Reuters highlighted in the report. And this raised concerns in Demark that the same could happen to Greenland, a Danish territory, read the report. 

Frederiksen said, "I would therefore strongly urge the US stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale," Reuters reported. 

Throughout last year, Trump has frequently repeated the same call for the US to take over Greenland, which triggered strong objections from Greenland, Denmark and the European Union, Xinhua reported.

The Trump administration has cited a combination of national security concerns, Arctic strategy, and the potential of critical minerals and natural resources as drivers of US interest in controlling Greenland, Xinhua said.

The prime minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a statement on Sunday: "When the President of the US says that 'we need Greenland' and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it's not just wrong. It's disrespectful."

Trump also, per The Atlantic, issued not-so-veiled threat against Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez, claiming that if she doesn't do what's right, she would pay a very big price, "probably bigger than Maduro."

Maduro was taken by US force away from his country on Saturday and is now in custody in New York to stand trial on alleged drug charges, media reported.

At least 80 Venezuelan people were killed during US airstrikes, a New York Times report said Sunday, citing Venezuelan officials.

The international community is deeply shocked by the Trump administration's raid on Venezuela and Maduro. Many countries have issued statements strongly condemning the blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president.

Global Times