Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands, speaking with Newsmax on Thursday, said she expects Greenland to pursue independence within this century.
But she also insisted that President Donald Trump will not allow the island to fall under the control of Russia or China.
"It would be like a gigantic Cuba just off our northeast coast," Sands, now chair of foreign policy at the America First Policy Institute, told Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "Unacceptable."
She further noted that Greenland is vital to U.S. security and cautioned Denmark against resisting Trump as his administration focuses on the Arctic island’s strategic importance.
"Greenland is part of that golden dome that President Trump is building for us," Sands said, calling it the "21st century version" of Israel’s Iron Dome.
Sands also discussed Wednesday's meeting involving leaders from Denmark and Greenland with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Sands said Denmark lacks the resources and commitment to adequately defend or develop Greenland, recalling her time as ambassador and describing what she said was a limited Danish security presence on the island.
"When I was U.S. ambassador, they had about 30 guys in Greenland and two dog sleds, and that's what they called security," Sands said.
She also pointed to a past pledge by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, saying Frederiksen promised Trump in 2019 to invest $200 million into Greenlandic security but did not follow through.
"She invested one, 1%, 2 million and it was into defense," Sands said.
Sands also questioned Denmark’s ability to meet NATO obligations, saying Denmark cannot effectively defend its territory, including Greenland, under NATO principles.
"And Denmark is not even fulfilling their NATO pledge," Sands said, adding that "they don't have the ability to defend Denmark, Greenland."
She said she does not know what specific arrangement Trump’s team will pursue, suggesting a free association model as one option that could provide U.S. security backing while allowing Greenland self-rule and encouraging investment.
"The Greenlanders want to be independent," Sands said. "So that would allow them to have their own government make their own laws, but have the U.S. security and then have the U.S. government to backstop businesses that want to invest in Greenland."
Sands downplayed the idea of a straightforward purchase price for Greenland, saying extracting rare earths there is difficult and that the larger focus should be on development and strategic control.
"It's not about buying. I think it's more about controlling," Sands said. "But we'll see what President Trump decides."
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