Donald Trump’s rhetoric can be ‘destabilising’, David Lammy suggests
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The “intensity” of the “rhetoric” from US President-elect Donald Trump can be “destabilising”, the Foreign Secretary has suggested. David Lammy told the BBC that he believes Mr Trump’s comments earlier in the week about Greenland – in which he made clear that he would want the territory under US control – come from his concerns about US economic security.
He also poured cold water on the idea of a deal between Ukraine and Russia being reached in Mr Trump’s first days in office, believing there is “no evidence” that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to come to the table to negotiate. His comments come after a press conference earlier this week in which the incoming US president suggested that the US could annex Greenland as well as the Panama Canal, which he claimed were at risk from the influence of Russia and China.
Asked whether the US should be allowed to buy Greenland, Mr Lammy told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think that we know from Donald Trump’s first term that the intensity of his rhetoric and the unpredictability sometimes of what he said can be destabilising.
“He did it with Nato. But in fact, in practice, he sent more troops to Europe under his administration. He sent the first javelins and weapons to Ukraine under his administration. “Here, I suspect on Greenland what he’s targeting is his concerns about Russia and China in the Arctic, is his concerns about national economic security.
