Trump’s Covetous Eye on Greenland
Trump’s Irrational Interest in Greenland
Ultimately, J.D. Vance’s trip to Greenland was limited to the Pituffik military base, but Trump’s ambition to annex the Arctic island has not ended and has worried Europe. Initially, a declaration, then controversies, and finally a slight adjustment in J.D. Vance’s visit to Greenland is a response to a pattern that has become an effective and consistent method in the Trump administration’s management of international relations.
Thus, after causing a stir by announcing that he intended to take his wife Usha to Greenland, where they would participate in the national dog sledding competition, the U.S. Vice President adjusted his route. He will only visit the Pituffik base to assess Greenland’s security.
Vance said it is really important because many countries threaten Greenland, its lands, and waters to threaten the United States, Canada, and naturally the population of Greenland.
But the reality is that there has been no public threat against the security of the island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark, except from the President of the United States, who has not ruled out even using military force to annex this large polar island, which has abundant natural resources and a strategic geographical position, and where climate changes will open new maritime routes in its waters.
The fact that Washington is the main security guarantor, military supplier, and NATO and Denmark ally is another sign of Washington’s disrespect for international law, allies, and transatlantic relations.
Dog Sledding or Scarce Resources
The announcement of Vance’s visit, although limited, did not remain without consequences. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has previously complained that Washington is exerting unacceptable pressure on Greenland, where its political forces, while opposing annexation to the United States, are in various ways supporting a process that pushes the island toward independence from Copenhagen.
The U.S. delegation led by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz includes J.D. Vance and his wife Usha, as well as Chris Wright, the Energy Secretary and former mining director.
The official reason is that they were supposed to participate in the national dog sledding competition.
However, no one is unaware of the fact that Greenland has vast mineral and oil reserves that have not yet been utilized, but especially that its subsoil contains rare resources essential for the IT industry and the transition to clean energy.
These resources include cobalt, graphite, lithium, and nickel, which are used in battery production, especially for electric motors, as well as copper and zinc, and even certain metals like titanium, tungsten, and vanadium for making superalloys.
In addition, due to global warming and a phenomenon known as polar amplification, researchers say that over the next two decades, areas bordering the Arctic Circle will remain ice-free for months, creating navigable routes that will redefine the island’s commercial role and turn it into a strategic hub for transporting raw materials and oil products.
Are Greenlanders Worried?
There is no doubt that the aggressive approach of the United States has raised concerns among the approximately 57,000 residents of the polar island, who for a long time viewed Trump’s interest in them as a factor to exploit in order to achieve independence from Denmark.
But today, as Prime Minister Múte B. Egede pointed out, there is a sense that Greenland needs foreign help to cope with Washington’s increasing pressures.
In recent weeks, hundreds have participated in demonstrations against the United States, some carrying signs with slogans like ‘Respect International Agreements’ and ‘Yankees Go Home’.
The fact that a high-level delegation of U.S. officials is visiting Greenland without an invitation, especially after the national elections and while parties are still negotiating to form the next government, raises many questions.
Jens Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Democratic Party and potential future prime minister, told the people of Greenland on Monday that they must remain united, but there is no reason to panic. We should not be forced to participate in a power game we did not choose.
Is Europe Lagging Behind?
The possibility of the island becoming another pawn in the competition between the United States and China raises concerns for Europeans.
Especially given the increasing tensions and deteriorating relations with Washington, the attention the U.S. government is paying to Greenland has sounded more than one alarm bell on the old continent.
The shock from Trump’s statements indeed highlighted a blameworthy neglect of this land, which had long been ignored by European foreign ministries, and only in 2024 did the European Union finally open its representative office there.
Even Denmark is realizing that it has underestimated the island’s vital importance for more than two centuries.
However, this is not the first time a U.S. President has shown interest in annexing Greenland to the United States.
He had also proposed the idea of buying this land in 2019.
The situation worsens as the businessman now sitting in the Oval Office is no longer the novice of his first presidential term, and he intends to exploit the current circumstances of China grappling with economic issues and a divided Europe lacking strong leadership.
Brussels assumed that the long-stagnant situation would remain unchanged, and this was a definite mistake. Today, geopolitical developments are faster than what Europe can keep up with.
Ultimately, it is difficult to discern the ultimate goal of President Trump’s policy towards Greenland, which seems based on incomprehensible stops and starts.
The declared goal cannot be to buy it, and even occupying it seems unlikely because, while the island is autonomous, it is part of Denmark, a NATO member. U.S. investments on the island are not increasing, and the military threat, given the good relations with Putin, seems to be just a threat.
Perhaps the aim is only to exert psychological pressure on the new island government that is forming after the defeat of the center-left party and implicitly once again provoke the European Union, which in Trump’s view is now regarded as the main enemy.