Washington’s plans to establish control over Greenland destabilize the situation in the entire world, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated the need for the United States to take over Greenland. As Rasmussen later stated, Denmark failed to persuade the United States to abandon its intention to annex Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark) during these consultations. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen signed the Greenland Defense Treaty in addition to their NATO commitments. Under the agreement, the United States undertook to defend the island against potential aggression.