Why does Trump have his sights set on Greenland?

US President Donald Trump has redoubled his goal of taking over Greenland, weighing up the use of force if necessary. What is behind the move, which could end up alienating Washington's closest allies?


The United States has ratcheted up its rhetoric on Greenland in recent days, to the great concern of its European allies, with talks now due to take place between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Danish officials next week.

Greenland, which belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark but has a largely autonomous status, has been in Trump's sights since his first term in office.

The relationship between the United States and Greenland goes back a lot further, however.

Greenland's location is highly strategic, lying on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the US. It is therefore a crucial part of the US anti-missile shield.

In 1941, at the height of World War II, the US negotiated a deal to build and operate military bases on Greenland, Denmark's then-colony in the Arctic, for as long as the conflict would last, in a bid to protect the American continent.

Denmark's ambassador in Washington, isolated from Nazi-occupied Copenhagen, independently negotiated the agreement with the US to protect Greenland, which is geographically part of North America and lies in the Western Hemisphere.

By the end of the war, the US had 15 military bases in Greenland. Today just one remains, the Pituffik air base on the north-western coast.

Since 1951, a Danish agreement with the US – revised in 2004 – gives the US military virtually carte blanche on Greenlandic territory, as long as it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance of its plans.

Trump has argued that Denmark has failed to ensure the security of Greenland, which measures 2.2 million square kilometres (849,424 square miles), or about a fifth the size of the entire European continent.

That is comparable to Alaska, the largest US state, although Greenland's population is just 57,000 people. Integrating Greenland would make the US the world's third largest country by land mass behind Russia and Canada, leapfrogging China.

A recent report by Denmark's military intelligence service said Russia, China and the United States were all vying to play "a greater role" in the Arctic.

In the past year, Copenhagen has beefed up its investments in Greenland. In 2025, it allocated €1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) to security in the region, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Monday.

Greenland has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a vital player as melting polar ice – a result of climate change – opens up new shipping routes.

A year ago however, 85% of Greenlanders said they opposed joining the US, according to a poll published in the Danish and Greenlandic press.

The content of this article is based on reporting by AFP, ANSA, BTA, CTK, dpa, Europa Press, HINA, Lusa, MIA, PAP, Ritzau and STA, as part of the European Newsroom (enr) project.