Trump provokes Greenland again: he announces a "massive" oil and gas prospecting

BarcelonaDenmark and Greenland celebrated, three weeks ago, an agreement with the United States that they considered put an end to months of provocations and tensions between the two NATO partners. But Donald Trump has shown that he has no intention of abandoning his challenges to the Arctic island. This Wednesday, in a message on his social network, he claimed that the US is preparing large-scale hydrocarbon exploration. "A massive oil, gas and mineral exploration is being prepared to begin in our beautiful new Greenland!", wrote the American leader, using a clearly provocative possessive pronoun.

Trump adds that there are experts who believe that the "easily accessible" oil reserves in Greenland are "much larger than almost any territory anywhere in the world".

It is true that it is estimated that Greenland has some of the most significant untapped oil and gas resources in the world. According to the United States Geological Survey, the east coast of the island contains oil equivalent to about 31 billion barrels, and the west about half that. If all of this were recoverable, Greenland could become one of the largest fossil fuel producers in the world. However, these resources are extremely difficult to extract, which means they will not be available in the short or medium term.

Furthermore, in Greenland there has been a ban in force since 2021 on granting new oil and gas exploration licenses, a decision adopted by the Greenlandic government, then led by the environmentalist and pro-independence party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), which now also forms part of the coalition of Jens-Frederik Nielsen's executive. The agreement signed last month in the framework of the UN General Assembly in New York between Trump, Nielsen and the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, does not establish any special treatment for Washington regarding the exploration and extraction of oil and minerals on the Arctic island.

Therefore, although Trump suggests that black gold will soon begin to flow from Greenland's subsoil for the benefit of the United States, it is not true. However, the 2021 decision put an end to the granting of new permits but did not automatically cancel the licenses that were already in force. For this reason, Danish media and analysts point out that the only viable option for the US is an old license granted to the American company Greenland Energy, which is valid for a project in the east of the island.

However, the project is still far from being a reality, as the company does not have the necessary permits and approved preliminary studies. The government of Greenland announced in August that the drilling activities planned for the project could not be carried out this winter, as requested by the company, because it has not obtained the necessary approvals before starting, including environmental and social impact studies and public consultations.

Key territory for US defense

In addition to this post, Trump also shared a photo created with artificial intelligence in which he appears looking over a mountain, with the text: "Hello, Greenland". It is the third time he has posted this photo: he already did so in August and ten days ago, when he also shared another one in which he appeared in front of penguins carrying the American flag, despite the fact that there are no penguins in Greenland.

In his post on Truth Social, Trump also described Greenland as fundamental to the security of the US and Europe, from both a "defensive" and "offensive" point of view. "Any future attack on the United States will have to pass through Greenland, where our defense will systematically shoot down drones, missiles, and any other form of weaponry not yet conceived. It provides us with time, location, and a field of vision like no other place in the world!", he wrote.

The recent pact allows the United States to expand its permanent military presence on the island with the construction of new bases, and makes it possible for American aircraft to fly over and land on the entire island, including territorial waters. In addition, Washington will be able to establish the missile defense system promoted by the White House, the so-called Golden Dome.

One of the key points of the agreement is that it vetoes access to the island by other actors, such as Russia and China, both in terms of economic investments and military presence.

Trump's posts come as the Parliament of Greenland is evaluating the security agreement between the US, Denmark, and the Arctic island. The majority of the deputies showed support for the pact, which must pass a second reading in the lower house this Wednesday before being submitted to a vote, but it is expected that the legislators will end up approving it.