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).

The Danish Defence Ministry announced on Tuesday a massive new defence expenditure centred on Greenland, the Arctic territory rich in minerals and natural resources that Copenhagen lays claim to and which US President-elect Donald Trump covets.