US President Donald Trump considers Greenland a US national security priority to deter Washington’s “Arctic adversaries,” according to a White House statement released Tuesday.
The statement came days after President Trump told reporters that Greenland is necessary for the United States from a national security perspective because it is “covered by Russian and Chinese vessels.”
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Here’s what you need to know about what President Trump said, whether Russia and China are present in Greenland, and whether they pose a threat to American security.
What has President Trump said about Greenland lately?
President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on January 4, “Right now, Greenland is covered in Russian and Chinese ships everywhere. We need Greenland from a national security standpoint.”
A White House statement on Tuesday fleshed out further details about how the United States would approach acquiring Greenland.
“The President and his team have discussed a wide range of options for pursuing this important foreign policy objective, and of course the use of U.S. forces is always an option at the discretion of the Commander-in-Chief,” a White House statement said.
Trump has repeatedly said during his second term that he wants Greenland for national security reasons.
“We need Greenland for international safety and security. We need it. We have to have it,” he said in March.
Since 1979, Greenland has been an autonomous territory of Denmark, and since 2009 has had the right to declare independence through a referendum.
President Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to take control of the island, which is home to U.S. military bases. He first expressed this desire in 2019 during his first term as US president.
In response, Greenlandic and Danish leaders have repeatedly stated that Greenland is not for sale. They have made it clear that they are not particularly interested in becoming part of the United States.
On January 4, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, “It makes no sense at all to say that the United States needs to occupy Greenland.”
“The United States has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Kingdom of Denmark,” she said, alluding to the Faroe Islands, which, like Greenland, is part of Denmark.
“Therefore, I urge the United States to end its threats against our historically close allies and against other countries and peoples that we have clearly stated are not for sale,” Frederiksen said.
On January 3, US special forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during an operation in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
Hours later, Katie Miller, a Trump ally and wife of Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller, posted a photo to X of a map of Greenland with an American flag.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen fired back in the X-Post, writing that “relationships between states and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law, not on symbolic acts that disregard our status and rights.”
Why does President Trump want Greenland so badly?
The island’s location in the Arctic and its natural resources make it strategically important to Washington.
Greenland is geographically part of North America and is located between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean. It is home to approximately 56,000 people, most of whom are indigenous Inuit.
It is the world’s largest island. Greenland’s capital Nuuk is closer to New York City, approximately 2,900 km (1,800 miles) away, than Denmark’s capital Copenhagen, 3,500 km (2,174 miles) to the east.
Greenland, a NATO territory via Denmark, is an overseas country and territory of the European Union, and its residents remain European Union citizens; it joined the European Community with Denmark in 1973, but withdrew in 1985.
“If the United States decides to use military force to occupy Greenland, that would be really troubling. Denmark is a member of NATO, and so is the United States. If that happens, it really raises the question of what the purpose of the military alliance is,” Melinda Herring, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Eurasia Center, told Al Jazeera.
Greenland provides the shortest route from North America to Europe. This would give the United States a strategic advantage in military and ballistic missile early warning systems.
The United States has shown interest in expanding its military presence in Greenland by installing radar in the waters connecting Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. These waters are a gateway for Russian and Chinese ships, and the U.S. government is keen to track them down.
The island is also incredibly rich in minerals, including rare earth minerals used in high-tech industry and battery manufacturing.
A 2023 study found that 25 of the 34 minerals deemed “critical raw materials” by the European Commission were found in Greenland.
There is no oil and gas extraction in Greenland, and its mining sector is opposed by indigenous peoples. The island’s economy relies primarily on fishing.
Are Chinese and Russian ships swarming Greenland?
However, while President Trump talks about Russian and Chinese ships around Greenland, the facts do not support that at this time.
Ship tracking data from maritime data and information websites such as MarineTraffic does not indicate the presence of Chinese or Russian vessels near Greenland.
Are Russia and China a threat to Greenland?
Regardless of the ship’s location, President Trump’s comments come as the battle for the Arctic Circle intensifies.
Due to global warming, the vast untapped resources of the Arctic are becoming more accessible. Countries such as the United States, Canada, China, and Russia are now eyeing these resources.
In a speech at the International Arctic Forum held in Murmansk, the largest city in the Arctic region, in March 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, “Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic, but we will closely monitor developments and launch an appropriate response by strengthening military capabilities and modernizing military infrastructure.”
In the speech, President Putin said that he believed that President Trump was serious about seizing Greenland, and that the United States would continue its efforts to acquire Greenland.
In December 2024, Canada released a policy document detailing plans to strengthen its military and diplomatic presence in the Arctic. Russia is also building military facilities and power plants in the region.
Meanwhile, Russia and China are cooperating on developing the Northern Sea Route, with Russia seeking to supply China with more oil and gas amid Western sanctions, while China is exploring alternative routes to reduce its dependence on the Straits of Malacca.
The Northern Sea Route (NSR), a shipping route in the Arctic Ocean, has become easier to navigate due to melting ice. NSR can significantly shorten transport trips. In response to Western sanctions, Russia wants to boost trade through the Northern Sea Route and expand trade with Asia rather than Europe. Last year, oil shipments from Russia to China via the Northern Sea Route increased by a quarter.
China is also exploring the region, sending 10 scientific expeditions to the Arctic and building a research vessel to explore the icy waters of northern Russia.
