The Danish government has announced the allocation of additional funds for the defense of Greenland following a statement by US President-elect Donald Trump that Washington needs to take control of the territory. This was reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC with reference to the Minister of Defense of Denmark Troels Lund Poulsen.

According to the minister, the amount of funds for Greenland's defense will amount to "double-digit billions" of crowns. The minister did not specify the exact amount, but according to local media estimates, it will amount to "about 12-15 billion crowns" (about $1.7-2 billion). With this money, Denmark will be able to purchase two new ships and the same number of long-range drones, Poulsen added.

In addition, Denmark intends to increase the number of personnel of the Arctic Command in the island's capital Nuuk. The kingdom will also modernize one of Greenland's three main civilian airports to service supersonic F-35 fighter jets. tass.ru.

"We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years, and now we plan to strengthen our presence," Poulsen said.

Earlier in December, Trump said that the "ownership and control" of Greenland by the United States is absolutely necessary. In response to the words of the American politician, Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede said that the island "is not for sale and will never be sold."