Why is Trump so interested in Greenland?

BarcelonaFrom the beginning of his second term—and even during his first—Donald Trump has always shown particular interest in Greenland, which enjoys a high degree of self-government but is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, a member of the European Union and NATO. Following the attack on Venezuela, the US president has launched a wave of threats against this strategically valuable Arctic island and made it clear their willingness to acquire-if necessary, through military intervention.

This Wednesday, a vital meeting is scheduled at the White House in Washington between Secretary of State Marc Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance, with representatives of the Danish and Greenlandic governments to discuss the territory's future. Both Copenhagen and Nuuk have insisted they will not yield to Washington's threats, but Trump maintains he "needs" Greenland to guarantee "the security of the United States."

Beyond the official reasons, why does this autonomous territory of Denmark arouse so much interest? The answer can be summarized in three main factors.

Geostrategic position

Its location places Greenland at a crucial point for US defense. The US already has a military base in Pituffik, a settlement in the town of Avannaata, in the west of the island. It is a key base in the defense of the eastern part of the US territory: against hypothetical attacks from Russia or even the Middle East, it would act as a first line of defense.

"As a result of the development of Russian infrastructure in the Arctic, the Pituffik base has become even more important," notes Marc Lateigne, professor of political science at the University of Tromsø and adjunct professor at the University of Greenland. However, he points out that annexing Greenland "would not significantly change US defense capabilities, since Denmark is a member of NATO." In fact, there are also several NATO military bases in the area.

Trump has said that Greenland is "surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships." Lateigne asserts that this claim is false, and that at most the US president could be referring to commercial ships. "In any case, in any hypothetical situation that militarily compromises the US, Washington already has the Pituffik base and NATO military bases," he points out.

And what would change if the US controlled Greenland? "They wouldn't have to wait for Denmark to authorize certain movements," explains Pablo Pareja, professor of International Relations at UPF. "They could fly without asking permission or directly build a missile defense shield," he says. However, Lateigne points out that Copenhagen has always been "very open" to the US and NATO military presence on the island, noting that, considering a cost-benefit analysis, at least in this case, negotiation can be fruitful and is safer than annexation.

Rich in natural resources

Eighty percent of Greenland's surface is frozen. For this reason, it's not easy to know exactly what raw materials the island possesses, but the entire coastline—the area not reached by the ice sheet that permanently freezes the country's interior—has areas rich in diverse natural resources. With the climate emergency and the melting ice, access to these resources is becoming easier and, in some cases, cheaper than just a few years ago. Greenland has gold, copper, uranium, oil, natural gas, and, above all, rare earths. At the moment, China controls 80% of the world's rare earth reservesOn the one hand, because it has one of the world's largest reserves within its territory. But it's also influenced by the fact that extracting these raw materials requires very expensive technology, and once obtained, they must be processed in specialized plants. China, for the most part, possesses the technology and the plants, and it retains a portion of the rare earth elements from other countries that it processes.

Outside of China, Pareja points out, studies indicate that Greenland, under Danish rule, could be the region with the most rare earth elements in the world. If climate change makes access to this resource easier, Greenland could become a particularly key region for this raw material, essential for manufacturing electronic devices and, therefore, for the digital industry. In a context of the US struggle to curb China's commercial expansion, American interest in Greenland's rare earth elements may be a significant factor in Trump's efforts regarding the island. However, Lateigne notes that, in this area as well, Denmark "has always been open to foreign investment to exploit Greenland's natural resources."

Trade Routes

Another consequence of the climate emergency and the melting ice is the opening of trade routes that were previously unthinkable or logistically and economically very costly. In the region, there are basically two routes: one that passes through western Greenland and continues to Asia via Canada, and another that passes closer to Norway and reaches Asia after crossing the Arctic Ocean through northern Russia. "These routes reduce sailing time because they don't require crossing the Panama Strait or the Suez Canal, and they save money because they don't have to stop at as many ports," Pareja explains. The foreseeable melting of the Arctic ice cap, however, will make a third route possible in a few years—especially in summer—one that is even faster than the current ones. This central route would connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, passing through eastern Greenland and the North Pole. Controlling the island would allow the US to avoid having to explain what goods pass through its ports.

In its competition for global hegemony, being able to trade more quickly and cheaply with Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia is key for Washington. For example, Japan currently imports 80% of what it consumes, and one of its key partners is the US.

Amid the dispute for control of the American continent, which the US has fiercely embraced, reviving the Monroe DoctrineLateigne warns that in the Arctic "there is a lot of concern about how the region is being militarized and how climate change will be addressed in this context." The professor warns that "the militarization of the area relegates the people who live there, who suffer the consequences of the melting ice every day, to the background."