United States President Donald Trump reiterated his desire to take over and control Greenland and stirred tensions at the NATO summit currently underway in Ankara, Turkey.US President Donald Trump reiterates demand to take over Greenland at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey (Reuters)Greenland is an autonomous Arctic territory that currently falls under the Kingdom of Denmark.Trump's fresh remarks have brought back a point of contention in US-Europe relations, which are already at a low point, in focus.“Should be controlled by US, not Denmark”During a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, Trump told reporters about his continued demand to take over the Artic territory. "That should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark," he said in reference to Greenland.Also Read I F-35 fighter jet sale to Turkey at centre of Trump's Ankara visit: Why Israel opposes itTrump's comments were followed by a direct recognition of the strain this issue has posed on his country's ties with NATO."That's what hurt my relationship with NATO, because Greenland doesn't help Denmark. Denmark doesn't spend money to really help Greenland, but it's an important part for the United States, and it's surrounded by China ships and Russian ships, and that's not going to happen," he said.“They wouldn't go along with it, and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia.”Both Washington DC and Copenhagen were founding members of the NATO.Also Read I Canada Rushes to Build Up Its Military as U.S. Relationship FraysWhat makes Greenland important?The core demand to acquire Greenland comes from interests in rare earth elements (REEs) and new shipping routes as thawing of ice due to global warming makes the Artic territory valuable to multiple stakeholders. For the US, further research and control over Greenland provides the opportunity to challenge China's current dominance in the critical minerals industry.Repeated takeover threats by the US President heightened tensions between the two countries, leading Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen to openly state the territory's desire to stay with Denmark instead of being integrated with the US if circumstances pushed for such a choice to be made.Also Read I Europe Races to Plug Security Holes After U.S. NATO PullbackAs per the latest update on this contentious issue, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed in June that monthly discussions with Denmark as well as Greenland were still on.