Dmitry Medvedev says president-elect or his billionaire friend 'could just buy land, making it their private property'
A senior Russian official on Sunday weighed in on US President-elect Donald Trump's controversial proposal for the US government to purchase Greenland or other foreign territories, saying that instead, Trump or his close ally Elon Musk should personally open their wallets to buy the land they want.
"Not sure why the US, as a country, needs to annex Canada, Greenland, or even Britain, and take back the Panama Canal. There's a more civilized way: @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk could just buy the land, making it their private property," Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and premier, and currently deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, wrote on X.
It was not clear if the post was written as a serious proposal.
This month Trump reiterated his stated wish from his first term to control the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland, calling it an “absolute necessity.” Denmark quickly rebuffed his proposal.
Since winning his ticket back to the White House in November, Trump has also repeatedly called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "the governor of the great state of Canada,” as if it were a US state.
He also said the US may retake control over the Panama Canal if the current conditions of its use are not reviewed.
Musk, the owner of electric carmaker Tesla and social media platform X, is currently ranked the world's richest man, with a worth of some $219 million, though it is doubtful if any of the territories in question would go for sale at any price.
