US President Donald Trump on Tuesday renewed his call for the United States to control Greenland, saying the strategically located Arctic territory “should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark”, as Nato leaders gathered for a summit in Turkey.Speaking during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump reiterated his long-standing position on Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, arguing that its strategic location made it critical to US national security.“That should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark”, the US president told reporters.Trump’s renewed remarks come months after his repeated assertions that the US should acquire or control Greenland triggered diplomatic tensions with Denmark, a founding NATO member, and drew criticism across Europe. The issue has since shifted to diplomatic discussions between Washington, Copenhagen and Greenland.Explaining his position, Trump said the dispute had affected US ties within the NATO alliance. He said, “That’s what hurt my relationship with Nato, because Greenland doesn’t help Denmark.”He went on to argue that Denmark was not investing sufficiently in the Arctic territory, “Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the United States.”Trump also cited growing military competition in the Arctic, claiming Greenland was surrounded by rival powers. He claimed, “It’s surrounded by Chinese ships and Russian ships, and that’s not going to happen.”He further criticised Nato allies over defence spending, saying, “They wouldn’t go along with it, and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia.”When asked whether the United States could reduce its military footprint in Europe, Trump suggested such a move remained a possibility. “We could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe.”The comments came as Nato leaders met in Turkey for a summit focused on European security, defence spending and the alliance’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Separately, Trump announced that the United States would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey over Ankara’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system.The sanctions, introduced under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), had strained ties between the Nato allies and led to Turkey’s removal from the US-led F-35 fighter jet programme.Speaking alongside Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed optimism that defence cooperation between the two countries would improve. Erdogan said he hoped Washington would approve the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, adding that Trump had consistently honoured his commitments.He also said the two leaders would discuss the proposed sale of jet engines for Turkey’s domestically developed KAAN fighter aircraft.Turkey expects Trump to “repeat the positive news” he previously gave about supporting Turkey’s defence projects.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said in June that discussions with Denmark and Greenland were continuing on a monthly basis, indicating that diplomatic engagement over the Arctic territory remains ongoing.