President Donald Trump has said the United States needs Greenland for “national security” after appointing Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to the Danish Arctic island, sparking protests from Copenhagen.
“We need Greenland, not for its mineral wealth, but for our national security,” Trump told reporters Monday at his Mar-a-Lago, Fla., residence, adding that Landry “will lead the way.”
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Landry said he intends to make the Arctic “part of the United States.”
The comments drew harsh criticism from Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
“We cannot annex another country…even if there is a discussion about international security,” the two countries said in a joint statement. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the United States must not occupy Greenland,” they added.
President Trump has commented several times since returning to the White House in January about his desire for the mineral-rich island, a request that Denmark and many other European countries have firmly rejected.
So what does President Trump’s sending of a special envoy mean for Greenland, and are there any chances of success in acquiring Greenland?
Why does President Trump say Greenland is “essential” to U.S. national security?
The US president insisted the resource-rich island was “essential” for security reasons, not because of its mineral wealth.
“If you look at Greenland, if you look down the coast, you see Russian and Chinese ships everywhere,” he said on Monday, adding that the United States “has a lot of mineral and oil drilling.”
President Trump’s interest in Greenland is not new.
During his first term as US president, from 2017 to 2021, he advocated the idea of purchasing the island from Denmark. President Trump subsequently postponed his 2019 visit to the Nordic countries after Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen denounced the idea.
He said in March that the United States would “do whatever it takes” and refused to rule out using military force to seize the initiative.
Greenland’s capital Nuuk, which is geographically part of North America, is approximately 2,900 km (1,800 miles) from New York and closer than Denmark’s capital Copenhagen, which is approximately 3,500 km (2,174 miles) to the east.
The semi-autonomous region has a population of 57,000 people.
Why did President Trump send a “special envoy” to Greenland? What does it mean?
On Sunday, the U.S. president appointed Louisiana Governor Landry as special envoy to Greenland, angering Copenhagen, which summoned the U.S. ambassador to explain the decision.
After the announcement, Landry said it would be an honor to play a role in “making Greenland part of the United States,” adding to Denmark’s concerns about the White House’s intentions.
Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that Landry recognizes “how important Greenland is” to U.S. national security.
Mark Jacobsen, a professor at the Royal Danish National Defense College in Denmark, said Trump was “clearly serious” about his interest in Greenland, but said it was unlikely he would try to take it by force.
“But we do see attempts to gain influence through other channels, such as strategic investments and pushing a narrative that paints Denmark as a bad partner,” Jacobsen told Al Jazeera.
“The appointment of Jeff Landry as special envoy and Tom Dunnes as leader of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission should be seen as new elements of this strategy,” he added.
How did Greenlanders react to this latest move?
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Loke Rasmussen said Trump’s appointment of Landry confirmed America’s continued interest in Greenland.
“However, we insist that everyone, including the United States, must respect the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he told AFP news agency.
On Monday, Greenland’s Prime Minister Nielsen said Greenland is friendly to the United States and “they know that if the United States so desires, there is no obstacle to strengthening the Arctic security of Greenland’s territory.”
“However, it is unacceptable to apply pressure from there to take over a country that has a large population and has its own sovereignty,” Nielsen told daily Samiziak.
Greenlanders widely support greater independence from Denmark, but do not support transferring sovereignty to the United States.
In 2009, Denmark granted Greenland broad autonomy, including the right to seek independence from Denmark through a referendum.
In August, Denmark summoned the US chargé d’affaires, gauging local sentiment for closer ties with the US, after at least three officials associated with former President Donald Trump were discovered in Greenland’s capital Nuuk.
In March, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and first lady Usha Vance accompanied White House National Security Adviser Mike Walz and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright to visit the U.S. Pittafik Space Station in northwestern Greenland “to receive briefings on Arctic security issues and meet with U.S. military personnel,” according to a statement released by Vance’s office.
However, Greenland’s acting head of government, Mute Egede, wrote in an online post at the time that Greenland did not actually offer invitations for official or private visits.
In response to Landry’s announcement, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa said that Arctic security was and remains a “key priority” for the EU and that “we aim to work together with our allies and partners.”
“Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law. These principles are essential not only for the European Union but for countries around the world,” they said in X.
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated France’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Denmark and Greenland.
He said Greenland “belongs to the people” and Denmark is “acting as a guarantor.”
Why is Greenland strategic to the United States?
President Trump has repeatedly emphasized that the strategic geography of the Arctic, particularly Greenland’s location between North America and Europe, is key to U.S. defense and global security interests.
Its location, offering the shortest route from North America to Europe, would give Washington leverage in the military and ballistic missile early warning systems.
The United States has also expressed interest in installing radar in waters connecting Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. These waters provide entry and exit points for Russian and Chinese vessels, and the United States wants to track them.
The island is also home to the Pitufik Cosmodrome, a major US military facility used for surveillance and missile warning operations.
What kind of mineral resources does Greenland have?
President Trump has denied that the real reason for his interest in Greenland is its mineral wealth. However, it is rich in mineral resources essential to the production of modern technologies, such as rare earth elements, uranium, zinc, and other base metals for electronics and clean energy.
Potential oil and gas deposits also exist, although mining is limited. According to research, Greenland contains a significant proportion of the critical raw materials identified by the EU.
Which other countries are vying for position in the Arctic and why?
In recent years, several countries have become increasingly active in the Arctic.
Climate change and rapidly melting ice sheets are the main reasons why the Arctic has become a geopolitical hotspot.
The Arctic is heating four times faster than the global average, making maritime trade routes and resource exploration more accessible to Arctic as well as non-Arctic countries.
China has vessels in the region that can perform both military surveillance and research functions. The objective is to collect data and secure access to the resources and shipping routes that emerge as the ice melts.
Last year, Canada released a 37-page security policy detailing plans to strengthen its military and diplomatic presence in the Arctic, citing threats posed by increased activity from Russia and China.
In recent years, Russia has expanded its naval presence, deployed missile systems in the Arctic, and stepped up weapons testing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also noted President Trump’s interest in the region.
Earlier this year, President Putin said in a speech at the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk, Russia’s largest city in the Arctic Circle, that President Trump was serious about seizing Greenland and that he believed the United States would continue its efforts to win Greenland.
“It may seem surprising at first glance, but it would be a mistake to believe that this is some kind of extravagance by the current US administration,” Putin said, adding that he expected the United States to “continue to systematically advance its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic.”
Putin also expressed concern that Russia’s neighbors Finland and Sweden, both of which have borders inside the Arctic Circle, are members of NATO, the transatlantic military alliance of North America and Europe. Finland will join NATO in 2023, and Sweden in 2024.
“Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic, but we will closely monitor developments and launch an appropriate response by increasing military capabilities and modernizing military infrastructure,” Putin said.
Could the US occupy Greenland by force?
Jacobsen said that if the United States invaded Greenland, it would mean the end of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Denmark and the United States are founding members of NATO, a European and North American military alliance founded in 1949.
“On a personal level for President Trump, this would mean the end of his long-standing ambition to win a peace prize,” Jacobsen told Al Jazeera.
“All his efforts to end wars in Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, and elsewhere will have no effect on this objective.”
Jacobsen added that there are still “reasonable people in the right position” who would pull the “handbrake on absurd ideas like the invasion of Greenland.”
“I really can’t believe something like that would happen,” he added.
