The United States has, once again, rekindled its interest in the vast Arctic expanse, home to about 57,000 largely Inuit people. President Donald Trump was right to appoint a special envoy to combat this problem. This decision has led to major outrage and condemnation from the Greenlandic and Danish sides. The U.S. aims to acquire Greenland not only for its strategic location between Europe and North America but for its rich mineral resources.
Greenland, a former Danish colony, has had autonomy under a self-rule agreement since 2009 that gives the region the right to declare independence. Though granted this autonomy, the territory continues to be almost entirely economically dependent on fishing and Danish subsidies. Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the Prime Minister of Greenland, has been vocal about the territory’s sovereignty, emphasizing that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the U.S. shall not take over Greenland.”
Trump’s administration has been clear that they want to buy Greenland for national security reasons. The U.S. has been sounding the alarm over the last several years about growing Russian and Chinese naval presence in the area. Trump remarked, “We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals… If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need it for national security. We have to have it.”
The appointment of a special envoy has been criticized by Danish officials. Lars Lokke Rasmussen, a prominent Danish politician, stated, “Out of nowhere, there is now a special U.S. presidential representative, who, according to himself, is tasked with taking over Greenland. This is, of course, completely unacceptable.” Her remarks echo wider worries about the impact of U.S. aims in Greenland.
Denmark and Greenland’s leaders have condemned any attempts at annexing Greenland in the strongest possible terms. They oppose these types of efforts, even when couched in terms of global security. Both Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister of Denmark, and Jens-Frederik Nielsen reiterated this point: “You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security.”
Nielsen further commented on the situation, saying, “We have woken up again to a new announcement from the U.S. president. This may sound big, but it does not change anything for us. We decide our own future.” This statement highlights Greenland’s constant fight for self-determination and the desire to freely develop their own political environment without outside influences.
Trump’s interest in Greenland not only reflects geopolitical aspirations but aims to reduce reliance on Chinese exports by securing access to the territory’s mineral wealth. As tempers flare over these developments, the stakes for both Greenland and Scandinavian relations with the world are extremely high.
As discussions continue, Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen noted, “This appointment shows that all the money Denmark has invested in Greenland, in the defense of the Arctic, and all the friendly things we have said to the Americans, have had no effect at all.”