[ti:Former Danish Leader Attacks Trump for Comments on Defense Spending] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]A former Danish prime minister has criticized U.S. President Donald Trump over a recent Twitter message about military spending. [00:15.08]Lars Loekke Rasmussen said that defense willingness is not just about the amount of money spent. [00:25.72]His comments are the latest in a growing argument between American and Danish politicians. [00:34.08]Trump announced on Tuesday he was canceling his planned visit to Denmark [00:40.47]because current Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was "nasty" when she wholly rejected his idea of buying Greenland. [00:54.60]Loekke Rasmussen led the country until June, when Frederiksen took office. [01:02.00]The former leader tweeted to Trump on Thursday: [01:05.95]"We have had (proportionally) exactly the same numbers of casualties in Afghanistan as US. [01:16.96]We always stands firm and ready." [01:21.68]Trump had earlier written on Twitter that Denmark only commits 1.35 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense. [01:35.57]He wants all NATO members to give at least 2 percent. [01:41.52]"We will not accept that our defense willingness is only about percentages," Loekke Rasmussen tweeted. [01:51.01]"I told you at the NATO Summit in Brussels last year." [01:56.76]Trump was expected to visit Denmark early next month. [02:01.12]The cancellation of his trip came after Frederiksen called the American president's wish to buy Greenland from her country "an absurd discussion." [02:14.24]Trump said the prime minister's comment "was nasty...all she had to say was 'No, we wouldn't be interested.'" [02:23.80]Greenland Premier Kim Kielsen also has rejected the idea of the United States buying the territory. [02:33.32]He told the Associated Press this week the idea is "not something to joke about." [02:42.44]Greenland, a self-ruling Danish territory, is the world's largest island. [02:49.25]It sits in the Arctic. [02:51.76]As the Earth warms, Greenland's oil and other natural resources are becoming increasingly easier to find and remove. [03:04.00]Russia, China, the United States, Canada and other countries are trying to claim Arctic lands. [03:14.44]The United States has a military presence in Greenland. [03:19.57]Under a 1951 defense treaty with the United States and Denmark, it operates the Thule Air Base. [03:28.80]The base houses a radar station that is part of a missile defense system. [03:35.55]Frederiksen said this week that Denmark does not own Greenland. [03:41.24]It belongs to its people, she said. [03:45.00]Although it is a part of the Danish kingdom, it has its own government and parliament. [03:52.72]Greenland has a population of 56,000 people. [03:57.37]Most of them are indigenous Inuits. [04:03.04]The island was a Danish colony from 1775 until 1953, when Denmark changed its constitution and made the island a province. [04:16.92]Denmark continues to decide its foreign and defense policies. [04:24.00]On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod. [04:34.18]The U.S. State Department said Pompeo "expressed appreciation for Denmark's cooperation as one of the United States' allies." [04:46.40]Kofod later wrote on Twitter, "U.S. and Denmark are close friends and allies with [a] long history of active engagement across [the] globe." [04:57.47]I'm Susan Shand. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM