The United States said on Monday it had approved a US$1.8 billion sale of patrol aircraft to Denmark, despite renewed tension after an envoy of US President Donald Trump called again for seizing Greenland.
The State Department said it approved a request from Denmark to buy the P-8A patrol and reconnaissance system from Boeing, which will include up to three aircraft.
The sale will “support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a Nato ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe”, the State Department said in a notification to Congress.
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A week earlier, the State Department approved a separate sale of nearly US$1 billion in air-to-air missiles to Denmark.
The United States has long pushed Nato allies to pay more on defence, with Trump seeking to reduce the US footprint in Europe despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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But Europeans have been shocked by Trump’s tone on Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous Danish territory.