Denmark is increasing defense spending in Greenland, said a Danish official Tuesday who called the announcement's timing with President-elect Trump's suggestion that the U.S. should own the territory an "irony of fate.

The Danish government has announced a huge boost in defense spending for Greenland, hours after US President-elect Donald Trump repeated his desire to purchase the Arctic territory. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the package was a "double-digit billion amount" in krone, or at least $1.5bn (£1.2bn).

In response to US President-elect Donald Trump’s renewed interest in acquiring Greenland, the Danish government has significantly ramped up defense spending for the Arctic territory. This announcement was made shortly after Trump’s statement.