US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Europe would be speaking German and Japanese today if Washington had not led Allied forces to victory in World War II.
He used the historical argument to justify his attempt to take control of Greenland.
"After the war - which we won, we won hard - without us, right now, you would all be speaking German and maybe a little Japanese," Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to the Telegraph.
The US president defended his claims to Greenland by pointing to Denmark's rapid defeat during the war, claiming that Copenhagen fell to Germany "after only six hours of fighting and was completely incapable of defending itself or Greenland."
Trump said Washington was "obliged" to send forces to hold Greenland "at great cost and expense," creating bases to defend the territory for Denmark.
"We established bases in Greenland for Denmark. We fought for Denmark," he said, adding that the US also acted to prevent "enemies" from gaining a foothold in the Western Hemisphere.
Recall that Greenland has attracted Trump's interest due to its strategic location in the Arctic, large mineral resources, and alleged concerns about increased Russian and Chinese activity.
Denmark and Greenland - as well as several other states - have rejected proposals to transfer the territory, reaffirming Danish sovereignty. /Telegraph/
