Denmark to buy US patrol planes despite Greenland rift

WASHINGTON

The United States said it had approved a $1.8-billion sale of patrol aircraft to Denmark, despite renewed tension after an envoy of President Donald Trump called again for seizing Greenland.

The State Department said it approved a request from Denmark to buy the P-8A patrol and reconnaissance system from Boeing, which will include up to three aircraft.

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," the State Department said in a notification to Congress.

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 U.S. 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 U.S.," leading Denmark to summon the U.S. 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.