Former U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited his interest in acquiring Greenland, citing its critical role in U.S. security and its vast mineral resources. This ambition faces strong opposition from both Denmark, Greenland’s sovereign power, and the self-governing island itself, as international tensions escalate over the Arctic region, placing the world’s largest island at the heart of global trade and security debates.
Greenland’s strategic location, with more than two-thirds of its territory above the Arctic Circle, makes it crucial for the defense of North America. It guards the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to the continent and is a key part of the GIUK (Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom) Gap, where NATO monitors Russian naval movements. Since World War II, when the U.S. occupied Greenland to prevent it from falling to Nazi Germany and to protect vital North Atlantic shipping lanes, its importance has been recognized. Today, the U.S. Department of Defense operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, established after the 1951 Defense of Greenland Treaty with Denmark, supporting missile warning, missile defense, and space surveillance for the U.S. and NATO.
Trump has repeatedly emphasized his desire for the mineral-rich island, arguing it is necessary for U.S. security. During a NATO summit, he stated, “Greenland is very important to the United States, but it’s not important to Denmark. We need it for protection of the world, not just the United States.” Earlier in his term, he would not rule out taking the island by military force to secure its “right, title and ownership,” though the president has since said he’s taken military options off the table. Trump maintains that the U.S. needs Greenland to deter threats from Russia and China, though he has made false claims about Chinese and Russian military forces lurking off the island’s coastline.
The Arctic, once an area of international cooperation after the Cold War, is now a hotbed of competition. Climate change is thinning the Arctic ice, promising a new northwest passage for international trade and intensifying the scramble for the region’s mineral resources. Russia has been asserting its influence across vast areas of the Arctic, restoring old Soviet infrastructure and building new military facilities since 2014, including airfields. The region is home to its Northern Fleet and a former nuclear weapons test site, which Russian military officials say is ready for resumed tests if necessary. European leaders’ concerns about Russia’s military buildup have been heightened since its war in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed worry about NATO’s activities in the Arctic and vowed to strengthen Moscow’s armed forces there, though he also mentioned keeping the door open for broader international cooperation.
China has also declared itself a “near-Arctic state” in 2018 to gain more influence, announcing plans for a “Polar Silk Road” as part of its global Belt and Road Initiative. Then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected this move, questioning, “Do we want the Arctic Ocean to transform into a new South China Sea, fraught with militarization and competing territorial claims?”
Despite Trump’s overtures, Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, has firmly rejected U.S. designs on the island. Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally, and Greenland’s own government, which represents its approximately 56,000 mostly Inuit people, insist that the people of Greenland will decide their own future. Thomas Crosbie, an associate professor of military operations at the Royal Danish Defense College, argues that an American takeover would not improve Washington’s current security strategy. “The United States will gain no advantage if its flag is flying in Nuuk (Greenland’s capital) versus the Greenlandic flag,” he told The Associated Press. “There’s no benefits to them because they already enjoy all of the advantages they want. If there’s any specific security access that they want to improve American security, they’ll be given it as a matter of course, as a trusted ally. So this has nothing to do with improving national security for the United States.”
Last year, Denmark’s parliament approved a bill allowing U.S. military bases on Danish soil, expanding a 2023 agreement with the Biden administration that granted U.S. troops broad access to Danish air bases. However, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen wrote last summer in response to lawmakers’ questions that Denmark would be able to terminate this agreement if the U.S. attempted to annex all or part of Greenland.
Beyond its strategic military value, Greenland is also a rich source of rare earth minerals, which are vital components in cellphones, computers, batteries, and other high-tech gadgets expected to drive the global economy in the coming decades. This mineral wealth has attracted significant interest from the U.S. and other Western powers seeking to reduce China’s dominance in the market for these critical materials. However, Development of Greenland’s mineral resources is challenging because of the island’s harsh climate, while strict environmental controls have proved an additional hurdle for potential investors.
Dasha Litvinova contributed to this report from Tallinn, Estonia.
Houses covered in snow are seen on the coast of a sea inlet of Nuuk, Greenland, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)
Jeppe Bruus, new Danish Defense Minister visits the army contribution in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, Monday, June 22, 2026. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
