President Donald Trump said “massive” oil, gas and mining exploration should begin in “our new, beautiful Greenland” early Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear what explorations or developments the U.S. president was referring to in his message, and Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, rather than part of the United States.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform following a campaign event Tuesday in Wasilla, Alaska, to support Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan as he seeks his third term representing the state in an election against former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola.
Rising energy prices – a direct result of Trump’s war in Iran – are creating serious and lasting financial hardship for the American working class in the run-up to next month’s midterm elections. Trump’s comments Wednesday are likely aimed at addressing voters’ concerns before they head to the polls.
But despite Trump’s optimism, exploration and resource extraction in Greenland has crippled businesses for decades due to the island’s harsh climate, lack of key infrastructure and difficult geology. Previous efforts to extract so-called rare earth minerals, as well as oil and gas, never progressed beyond the exploratory stage.
Trump’s comments on the Arctic island come less than a month after he signed a deal with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic, following months of tensions with NATO allies following the US president’s repeated demands to take control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory. It does not grant the United States special exploration rights, but it imposes certain limits on investments by non-NATO countries in strategic sectors.
The deal also paved the way for more U.S. bases in Greenland and eased tensions over Trump’s repeated calls for Greenland to become part of the United States. The agreement would remain applicable if Greenland ultimately chose independence.
Trump expressed his desire to acquire Greenland as early as 2019 and, during his second term, threatened to seize the territory from NATO ally Denmark.
Representatives for the leaders of Denmark and Greenland did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Greenland has large deposits of rare earths needed to make everything from computers and smartphones to batteries, solar and wind technologies that will enable the transition away from fossil fuels. China dominates the global supply of these essential minerals, and the Trump administration seeks to break Beijing’s hold on these minerals.
The US Geological Survey has also identified significant potential offshore oil and natural gas deposits.
But exploiting these resources could prove extremely difficult: rare earth minerals are locked in rock and offshore oil and natural gas deposits are covered by Arctic ice.
Trump’s Truth Social message also touted Greenland’s strategic location, saying that “from a security standpoint in the defense and offense of the United States of America and Europe,” the island is “second to none.”
“Any future attack on the United States will have to pass through Greenland, where our Defense will routinely shoot down drones, missiles, or any other form of weapon that is not even designed yet,” he wrote. “It gives us time, location and visibility like nowhere else in the world! »
The United States played a significant role in Greenland for decades, but since 1945, the U.S. military presence in Greenland has grown from thousands of troops across 17 bases and installations to around 200 troops at the isolated Pituffik space base in the northwest. The base supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the United States and NATO.
Trump said last month that the United States would “immediately begin the process of developing a broad military presence in appropriate locations,” including “the construction of two very significant military bases.”
Gn headline
