True to form, US President Donald Trump has yet again used a tariff threat to warn several European nations, including Denmark, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, in an escalation of his pursuit to acquire Greenland. The threat of tariffs of up to 25 per cent was made as people took to the streets in the Greenland capital to protest against Trump’s bid to control the mineral-rich island.
Even before the recent tariffs, Trump has not shied away from making it clear that he will not rule out the use of military force to acquire the Danish territory. The recent ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US has further fuelled concerns over Trump’s possible actions in Greenland.
Trump has repeatedly said that the US “really needs” Greenland. He has even gone on to say that he plans to do “something on Greenland, whether they like it or not”.
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So, what is really behind this obsession over Greenland? Why does Trump “really need” Greenland?
Why Trump wants Greenland
Officially, the US leader has said that he wants Greenland for “national security” reasons.
He has claimed that China and Russia are attempting to control the mineral-rich region, although he did not provide any evidence for this.
Notably, the two nations have stepped up their security presence in the Arctic but have not laid any claim to its sovereignty.
When Trump first raised the idea of buying Greenland in 2019, he described it as “a large real estate deal” that could help Denmark manage its state finances.
This time, he has argued that the US needs control of the island for national security reasons. He has also claimed that Denmark is not spending enough to safeguard the island.
But is that all?
It is all about the location. Greenland’s position above the Arctic Circle makes the world’s largest island central to security planning.
As global tensions rise, climate change advances and the world economy shifts, Trump wants to make sure the US keeps control over the mineral-rich island that overlooks the Arctic and the North Atlantic routes leading to North America.
Greenland lies off Canada’s north-eastern coast, and more than two-thirds of its land falls within the Arctic Circle.
This has made it important to North American defence since World War II, when the US took control of the island to stop it from falling under Nazi Germany’s control and to protect key North Atlantic shipping routes.
After the Cold War, the Arctic became mostly a zone of international cooperation. But climate change is reducing the ice cover, raising the possibility of a north-west passage for global trade and reigniting rivalry involving Russia, China and other nations over access to the region’s mineral wealth.
It is the least densely populated country in the world, and much of it is covered by ice. But it is also resource-rich. Its reserves, including oil, gas and rare earth minerals, increase its strategic value.
These minerals are important to the global economy since they are needed to produce items ranging from electric vehicles and wind turbines to defence equipment.
Trump has played down the role of Greenland’s resources. He told reporters last month, “We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals.”
But his former national security adviser Mike Waltz said in January 2024 that the focus was on resources. He told Fox News the administration’s interest in Greenland was “about critical minerals” and “natural resources”.
Maduro’s ouster by the US from Venezuela has heightened tensions around Greenland and shown how far Trump may go to pursue what he describes as “national security” goals.
With inputs from agencies
