Greenland row: Trump cancels Copenhagen visit

Trump has cancelled an official visit to Denmark in September after Copenhagen rejected his offer to buy Greenland. The US president justified the decision citing Prime Minister Frederiksen's "nasty" choice of words after she described the offer as "absurd". Commentators are incensed and speculate on the geopolitical consequences of the dispute.

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Tages-Anzeiger (CH) /

Realtor on a shopping spree

The US president's quirky plan to purchase Greenland shows that Trump isn't yet sitting square in the saddle, Tages-Anzeiger writes:

“It's clear that even as US president Trump is still acting just like the more or less successful real estate broker he once was - and basically still is. Only now he's presuming to buy not just a skyscraper but an over two-million-square-kilometre island - along with its natural resources and polar bears. What else is on Trump's shopping list? Congo? They've got diamonds and cobalt there. Or Scotland, with its golf courses? Donald Trump's presidency is the continuation of his business by other - far more powerful - means.”

Politiken (DK) /

EU is the more reliable partner

With the US president's erratic behaviour it's clear that the US is no longer a reliable partner, Politiken concludes:

“Naturally America is still a close and important partner. But the US has embarked on an unpredictable course that could be maintained even after the presidential election in 2020. ... For a small country like Denmark this is a dangerous situation that underlines the importance of the EU. Not as an alternative to Nato - that's not realistic right now - but as a political community. It is within the EU that we can best pursue our interests and exert influence on global events. We should focus our attention on Brussels - both in terms of security policy and diplomacy. With a solid anchor in Europe Denmark can weather the storm from the US.”

El País (ES) /

Europe could turn to Russia for assistance

El País imagines Trump's offer being dealt with in a future history class, and quotes from an imaginary schoolbook:

“'The world thought it was a joke but the smiles froze when President Trump said he had nothing more to say to Denmark if Greenland wasn't for sale. Until then Copenhagen had officially considered Washington its main military ally. ... The trust collapsed and Europe - which had chosen not to build up its own defence - had to seek protection elsewhere.' End of the lesson. The boys and girls heave a sigh of relief: they still have a bit of trouble understanding Russian.”

Zeit Online (DE) /

Just sit back and wait for Obama

The Danes shouldn't fret over the cancelled visit, Zeit Online recommends:

“Relations between the two countries (which are Nato allies, and friends even) might have taken a beating, but they'll recover. The costs and effort put into preparing for the visit were in vain, granted. But at least Copenhagen can now relax and prepare itself for a truly welcome visitor: Barack Obama has announced he'll be coming at the end of September. Speculation by some US journalists that this could be the real reason why Trump has back-pedalled are not entirely unfounded. His justified fear would be that he might be outshone by his predecessor - with Obama being welcomed to the city by a far bigger, more jubilant acrowd.”