Climate change drives Trump's Greenland gambit
European troops have landed in Greenland amid tense talks between the country's autonomous government, officials from Denmark, and the United States. President Trump has continued to insist the two-million-square-kilometer Arctic island should belong to the United States—despite pre-existing security agreements and a (previously) strong relationship with Denmark that grants the US significant military access to the territory. Beyond Trump's ego, there are reasons related to climate change that explain why Greenland is becoming of political interest. The territory's strategic location has become even more so in recent years as the Greenland ice sheet and surrounding sea ice have retreated significantly: The ice sheet lost 105 billion tonnes in 2024-25, according to scientists. This has disastrous implications—ice helps cool the planet, and its melt will lead to rising seas. But it also allows ships and submarines more freedom of movement, making military planners nervous.
Greenland is also home to around 31.4 billion barrels of oil, which the territory gave up trying to extract in 2021, citing the global climate crisis. Potentially even more significant are large volumes of untapped critical minerals—necessary to power the technology needed for the transition away from fossil fuels. China currently controls most of the global market, and a White House document released this week explicitly framed critical minerals as vital to US national security.
From The New Humanitarian, Jan. 16. Slightly editied. Internal links added.
Trump threatens tariffs over US control of Greenland
President Donald Trump has announced 10% tariffs effective February 1 on Nordic and EU countries that do not support his plan to take control of Greenland. The tariffs are to increase to 25% effective June 1.
The latest threats come days after a meeting between US, Danish and Greenlandic officials, seeking to ease tensions. Denmark has expressed increasing concern about possible US military action in Greenland.
"I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that," said Trump.
Military forces from France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK recently arrived for exercises in Greenland. The exercises are ostensibly meant to show President Trump that European members of NATO can defend Greenland against Russian or Chinese designs on the territory. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "The president has made his priority quite clear, that he wants the United States to acquire Greenland. He thinks it's in our best national security to do that."
Greenland's prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said that "if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU."
Sara Olsvig, chair of the Greenland-based Inuit Circumpolar Council, which represents around 180,000 Inuit, said that statements from the Trump administration offer "a clear picture of how the US administration views the people of Greenland, how the US administration views Indigenous peoples, and peoples that are few in numbers… And that really is concerning."
The parties agreed to form a working group to continue discussions to resolve differences and address US concerns. However, the administration described the ongoing discussions as "technical talks on the acquisition agreement" for the US to acquire Greenland. (Jurist)
Greenland, Denmark continue to reject Trump's push for control
Denmark and Greenland began the year by rejecting any suggestion of US control over Greenland, stating that the island’s sovereignty remains absolute, despite comments by Donald Trump that referenced a proposed Arctic security framework with NATO.
Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a televised address January 5 condemned what she called threats, pressure and condescending speech "from our closest ally for generations." She criticized talk of "wanting to take over another country, another people, as if it were something you could buy and own." Frederiksen called the behavior “entirely unacceptable,” and reaffirmed Denmark’s sovereignty and commitment to international norms.
She added: "If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stop, including our NATO, and thus the security that has been established since the end of the Second World War."
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen echoed these sentiments on Jan. 22, emphasizing that only Greenland and Denmark hold the authority to make decisions concerning the island. Nielsen noted what he called Greenlanders' "red lines": respecting territorial integrity, upholding sovereignty, following international law, and ensuring mutual respect in decision-making. He rejected any notion that Greenland could be "owned" by another country, and stressed the need for respectful dialogue and consideration of each party's intentions.
Since 2019, during his first term, and increasingly since his second-term election, Trump has repeatedly stated that the US should control Greenland. Trump has justified this demand on national security grounds. Trump repeated these claims at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 21, while for the first time denying that he would use force. He called Denmark "ungrateful" and said it owed the US for its defense during the Second World War. He said US control would allow development that would benefit both Europe and the US, and claimed no other country could secure the territory.
Trump supposedly worked out a deal for some kind of control over Greenland with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the Davos summit—but no details have been provided, and NATO of course has no authority over the island. In a Fox Business interview on Jan. 22, Trump said the US would have "all the military access we want" in Greenland—which leaves unclear what, if anything, would change, as Denmark has never restricted US military access to Greenland.
Several European leaders at Davos responded angrily to Trump's demands, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who called his plans a form of colonialism and said Europe will not "passively accept the law of the strongest." (Jurist)