Trump says Greenland ‘essential’ for security: Could he take it by force?

President Donald Trump has said the United States needs Greenland for its “national security” aft naming Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry arsenic peculiar envoy to the Danish Arctic island, prompting protests from Copenhagen.

“We request Greenland for nationalist security, not for minerals,” Trump told reporters astatine his Mar-a-Lago residence successful Florida connected Monday, adding that Landry would “lead the charge”.

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Landry said helium would marque the Arctic territory “a portion of the US”.

The comments drew sharp rebukes from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s premier minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

“You cannot annex different state … Not adjacent with an statement astir planetary security,” they said successful a associated statement. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the US shall not instrumentality implicit Greenland,” they added.

Since Trump returned to the White House successful January, helium has commented connected respective occasions astir his tendency for the mineral-rich island, a request Denmark and galore different European nations person steadfastly rejected.

So, what does Trump sending an envoy mean for Greenland, and could helium win successful acquiring it?

Why is Trump saying Greenland is ‘essential’ to US nationalist security?

The US president insisted that the resource-rich island is “essential” for information reasons, alternatively than for its mineral resources.

“If you instrumentality a look astatine Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you person Russian and Chinese ships each implicit the place,” helium said connected Monday, portion adding that the US has “many sites for minerals and oil”.

Trump’s involvement successful Greenland is not new.

During his archetypal word arsenic US president from 2017 to 2021, helium mooted the thought of buying the land from Denmark. Trump past postponed a 2019 sojourn to the Nordic state aft Danish PM Frederiksen slammed the idea.

He has refused to regularisation retired the usage of subject unit to prehend control, noting successful March that the US would “go arsenic acold arsenic we person to”.

Geographically portion of North America, Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, lies astir 2,900km (1,800 miles) from New York – person than it is to Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, which is situated astir 3,500km (2,174 miles) to the east.

The semi-autonomous territory has a colonisation of 57,000 people.

Why has Trump sent an ‘envoy’ to Greenland – what does that signify?

On Sunday, the US president appointed Louisiana Governor Landry arsenic peculiar envoy to Greenland, prompting choler from Copenhagen, which summoned the US ambassador to explicate the decision.

Following the announcement, Landry said it would beryllium an honour to service successful a relation meant to “make Greenland a portion of the US”, further amplifying Denmark’s concerns astir the White House’s intentions.

Taking to his societal media level Truth Social, Trump said Landry is alert “how indispensable Greenland is” for US nationalist security.

Marc Jacobsen, a prof astatine the Royal Danish Defence College successful Denmark, said portion Trump is “clearly serious” astir his involvement successful Greenland, it is improbable helium would effort to instrumentality it by force.

“But we surely spot attempts to summation power done different channels specified arsenic strategical investments and pushing narratives that represent Denmark arsenic a atrocious partner,” Jacobsen told Al Jazeera.

“The assignment of Jeff Landry arsenic peculiar envoy and Tom Dans arsenic the person of the US Arctic Research Commission should beryllium seen arsenic caller elements successful this strategy,” helium added.

How person Greenlanders responded to this latest move?

Lokke Rasmussen, the overseas curate of Denmark, said Trump’s assignment of Landry confirmed continued US involvement successful Greenland.

“However, we importune that everyone – including the US – indispensable amusement respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” helium told the AFP quality agency.

On Monday, Greenland’s Prime Minister Nielsen said Greenland is affable towards Washington and that “they cognize determination is nary obstacle to the United States expanding information successful the Arctic connected Greenlandic territory if they privation to bash so.

“But going from that to pressuring to instrumentality implicit a state that is populated and has its ain sovereignty is not acceptable,” Nielsen told the regular Sermitsiaq.

People successful Greenland broadly favour accrued independency from Denmark – but not the transportation of sovereignty to the US.

In 2009, Denmark granted Greenland extended self-governing powers, including the close to prosecute independency from Denmark via a referendum.

In August, Denmark summoned the US complaint d’affaires aft astatine slightest 3 officials linked to erstwhile President Trump were spotted successful Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, gauging section sentiment connected strengthening ties with the US.

In March, US Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, were accompanied by White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright connected a circuit of the US’s Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland “to person a briefing connected Arctic information issues and conscionable with US work members”, according to a connection released by Vance’s office.

However, Greenland’s acting caput of government, Mute Egede, wrote successful an online station astatine the clip that Greenland had not successful information extended immoderate invitation for an authoritative oregon backstage visit.

In effect to Landry’s announcement, European Union Commission President ⁠Ursula von der Leyen and European Council ‍President Antonio Costa said Arctic ‍security ‍was and volition stay a “key priority” for the EU, “one successful which we question to enactment with allies and partners”.

“Territorial integrity and sovereignty are cardinal principles of planetary law. These principles ​are indispensable not ‌only for the European Union, but for nations astir the world,” ‌they said ‌on ⁠X.

On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated France’s backing for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of some Denmark and Greenland.

He said Greenland “belongs to its people” and Denmark “serves arsenic its guarantor”.

Why is Greenland strategical for the US?

Trump has repeatedly emphasised that the Arctic’s strategical geography – peculiarly Greenland’s presumption betwixt North America and Europe – is cardinal to US defence and planetary information interests.

Its location, offering the shortest way from North America to Europe, would springiness Washington leverage for its subject and its ballistic rocket early-warning system.

The US is besides funny successful placing radars successful the waters that link Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom. These waters are a gateway for Russian and Chinese ships, which the US wants to track.

The land besides hosts the Pituffik Space Base, a large US subject installation utilized for surveillance and rocket informing operations.

What mineral resources does Greenland have?

Trump has denied that its mineral wealthiness is the existent crushed helium is truthful funny successful Greenland. However, it is affluent successful mineral resources captious for the accumulation of modern technologies, including rare-earth elements for electronics and cleanable energy, arsenic good arsenic uranium, zinc and different basal metals.

It besides holds imaginable lipid and state deposits, though their extraction is restricted. Surveys bespeak that Greenland contains a important stock of the captious earthy materials identified by the EU.

(Al Jazeera)

Which different countries are scrambling for positions successful the Arctic and why?

Several countries person go progressively progressive successful the Arctic successful caller years.

Climate alteration and a rapidly melting crystal expanse are the main reasons the Arctic has go a geopolitical hotspot.

The Arctic is heating astatine a complaint 4 times faster than the planetary average, expanding its accessibility for maritime commercialized routes and assets exploration – including by non-Arctic countries arsenic good arsenic those with an Arctic presence.

China has deployed vessels susceptible of serving some subject surveillance and probe functions successful the region. The purposes are to cod information and unafraid entree to resources and shipping lanes, which are emerging arsenic a effect of melting ice.

Last year, Canada unveiled a 37-page information argumentation detailing plans to heighten its subject and diplomatic beingness successful the Arctic, citing threats posed by expanding Russian and Chinese activity.

In caller years, Russia has expanded its naval presence, deploying rocket systems and ramping up weapons investigating successful the Arctic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has besides noted Trump’s involvement successful the region.

During an code astatine the International Arctic Forum successful the Russian metropolis of Murmansk, the largest metropolis wrong the Arctic circle, earlier this year, Putin said helium believed Trump was superior astir taking Greenland and that the US would proceed its efforts to get it.

“It tin look astonishing lone astatine archetypal glance, and it would beryllium incorrect to judge that this is immoderate benignant of extravagant speech by the existent US administration,” said Putin, adding that helium expects the US to proceed to “systematically beforehand its geostrategic, military-political and economical interests successful the Arctic”.

Putin besides expressed concerns astir Russia’s neighbours, Finland and Sweden – some of which person borders wrong the Arctic ellipse – joining NATO, the transatlantic subject confederation betwixt North America and Europe. Finland joined NATO successful 2023, and Sweden joined successful 2024.

“Russia has ne'er threatened anyone successful the Arctic, but we volition intimately travel the developments and equine an due effect by expanding our subject capableness and modernising subject infrastructure,” Putin said.

Could the US instrumentality Greenland by force?

Jacobsen said if the US were to invade Greenland, it would mean the extremity of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Denmark and the US are founding members of NATO, a European and North American subject confederation founded successful 1949.

“On a idiosyncratic level for Trump, it would besides mean the extremity of immoderate ambitions for getting a bid prize, which helium has strived for truthful long,” Jacobsen told Al Jazeera.

“All his efforts to extremity the wars successful Ukraine, Israel-Palestine and elsewhere would person nary effect to this end.”

Jacobsen added that determination are inactive “reasonable radical successful the close positions” who would propulsion the “handbrake connected specified an unreasonable thought similar invading Greenland”.

“I genuinely don’t judge it volition happen,” helium added.