ANKARA, Turkey, July 7 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Greenland should be controlled by the United States, not Denmark, reaffirming a stance that has caused tensions among NATO allies just as leaders of the alliance gathered for a summit in Turkey.
Trump's assertions that the U.S. must acquire or control Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, have long strained relations between Washington and Copenhagen — both founding NATO members — and more broadly U.S. ties with Europe. The issue has since moved to a diplomatic track.
"That should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark," Trump said of Greenland in comments to reporters during a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Hours later, also speaking in Ankara, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she expected allies to respect the sovereignty of the Danish kingdom and accept that Greenland was not for sale.
"It is a well-known position of the United States that it wants to own and take over Greenland. I hope that it is equally well-known everywhere that this is not going to happen," Frederiksen said.
She added that there were no plans to discuss in Ankara issues concerning the High North, the Arctic or Greenland.
Greenland's Foreign Minister Mute Egede said in a post on Facebook that Greenland's future should be decided by its people.
"That's how it has always been. And that's how it always will be," he said, adding that Greenland should continue close cooperation with its allies.
Trump said the issue of control over Greenland had harmed U.S. ties with NATO.
"That's what hurt my relationship with NATO, because Greenland doesn't help Denmark. Denmark doesn't spend money to really help Greenland, but it's an important part for the United States, and it's surrounded by China ships and Russian ships, and that's not going to happen," he said.
"They (Denmark) wouldn't go along with it, and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia."
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said in June that conversations with Denmark and Greenland were continuing on a monthly basis.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Louise Rasmussen; writing by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Doina Chiacu, David Ljunggren and Gareth Jones)
