CNN | Published January 8, 2025
On Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr. landed in Greenland, the Arctic island his father, President-elect Donald Trump, has expressed a strong desire to purchase, despite sharp statements from Greenland that it is not for sale.
Trump Jr. framed the trip as “a little bit of fun,” telling CNN, “as an outdoorsman, I’m excited to stop into Greenland for this week.”
But the trip has fueled speculation about what exactly his father’s plans are for this Arctic territory.
In December, Trump revived calls made in his first presidency for US ownership of Greenland, calling it “an absolute necessity.” Asked at a Tuesday news conference whether he would rule out using “military or economic coercion” to gain Greenland — or Panama, which Trump has also expressed desire to own — the president-elect responded, “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two, but I can say this: We need them for economic security.”
The president-elect says owning Greenland is vital for US security, but experts say he may also be eyeing other aspects of Greenland such as its trove of natural resources — including rare earth metals — which may become more accessible as climate change melts the territory’s ice.
A unique geopolitical position
Greenland is the world’s largest island and home to more than 56,000 people. A former Danish colony and now an autonomous territory of Denmark, it occupies a unique geopolitical position, sitting between the US and Europe. Its capital city Nuuk is closer to New York than it is to Denmark’s capital Copenhagen.
It’s long been seen as key for US security, especially to repel a potential attack from Russia, said Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. The Northwest Passage shipping lane runs along its coast and the island is part of the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom gap, a strategic maritime region.
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SOURCE: www.edition.cnn.com
RELATED: Can Trump buy Greenland?
Greenland’s flag flies in Igaliku settlement, Greenland, July 5, 2024. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
REUTERS | Published January 8, 2025
COPENHAGEN, Jan 7 (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says he wants to make Greenland a part of the United States, renewing an interest first expressed in 2019 when he offered to buy the sprawling Arctic island from Denmark – and was rebuffed.
The mostly ice-covered island of just 57,000 people, which boasts vast mineral resources and is strategically important for the U.S. military, has been a part of Denmark for over 600 years.
“Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday.
“This is a deal that must happen,” Trump said on Tuesday after his son, Donald Trump Jr., paid a private visit to Greenland.
COULD TRUMP BUY GREENLAND?
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede, who recently has stepped up a push for independence from Denmark, has repeatedly said the island is not for sale and that it is up to its people to decide their future.
“While others, including Danes and Americans, are entitled to their opinions, we should not be caught up in the hysteria and let external pressures distract us from our path,” Egede said on Tuesday.
The island, a former colony of Denmark, became a formal territory of the Nordic kingdom in 1953 and is subject to the Danish constitution, meaning that any change to its legal status would require a constitutional amendment.
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SOURCE: www.reuters.com
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