Vladimir the Historian reminds his Russian audience about America’s 160+ year history of negotiations to acquire Greenland.
Vladimir Putin: About the United States of America’s plans to join Greenland. You know, at first glance, this may surprise someone – and deeply mistakenly – believe that these are some extravagant talks of the new American administration. It is not true.
In fact, the United States of America made such plans back in the ’60s – in the 19th century. Even then, the American administration considered the possibility of annexing Greenland and Iceland. But this idea was not supported by the Congress.
By the way, I would like to remind you that by 1868, the American newspapers ridiculed the purchase of Alaska. It was called the “Crazy Icebox” and the “Garden of the White Bears” by Andrew Johnson, the then President of the United States. Therefore, the Greenland proposal failed.
But today, this purchase – I mean the purchase of Alaska – is probably viewed in the United States in a completely different way, as is the activity of President Andrew Johnson. Therefore, there is nothing surprising about what is happening today, especially since this story began only then, and it went on.
In 1910, for example, a three-way trade agreement was prepared between the United States, Germany and Denmark. As a result, Greenland would have gone to the United States, but the deal fell through.
During World War II, the United States deployed military bases in Greenland to protect it from Nazi invasions. And after the war ended, the United States offered Denmark to buy out these islands, quite recently, by the standards of world history.
By the way, we are talking about serious plans by the American side in relation to Greenland. These plans have long-standing historical roots, as I have just said, and it is obvious that the United States will continue to promote its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic on a systematic basis.
