When Donald Trump floated the idea of buying Greenland in 2019, most people laughed. Memes followed. Denmark said no.
But beneath the jokes was a very serious strategic logic, one the United States has believed in for more than a century.
Letโs break it down, simply.
๐๐ถ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ
- Americaโs interest in Greenland goes back to World War II.
- In 1941, after Nazi Germany occupied Denmark, US moved into Greenland under the Monroe Doctrine to prevent German access to the North Atlantic.
- In WW2, Greenland became central to US and allied powers operations.
- In 1951, a USโDenmark Defence Agreement allowed permanent American bases.
- The most important one is Pituffik Space Base built in 1953 which is still Americaโs northernmost military installation.
๐๐ฒ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ
- Greenland lies 3,000 km from Washington, DC and 4,000 km from Moscow.
- It sits almost exactly on the shortest air and missile route between Russia and North America.
- That makes Greenland the perfect place to monitor Russian military movement across the Arctic and North Atlantic.
- From Pituffik Space Base US gets critical extra minutes to assess and respond before a missile reaches America.
๐ ๐ฒ๐น๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐
- Climate change is quietly reshaping global trade.
- Melting ice is opening the Northwest Passage
- This creates new routes beyond the Suez and Panama Canals
- Shipping time between Asia, Europe and North America could reduce significantly.
- Greenland sits right next to these routes, making it a natural monitoring, logistics and influence hub in a warming Arctic.
๐ข๐ถ๐น, ๐ด๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐
- Beyond minerals, Greenland also sits near potential offshore oil and gas reserves.
- The Arctic is estimated to hold 13% of the worldโs undiscovered oil and 30% of its undiscovered natural gas.
- Trump believes that Greenland has the potential to become Saudi Arabia for them.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ
- According to a 2023 survey by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS):
25 of the 34 critical raw materials identified by the EU exist in Greenland
Including rare earths like neodymium and dysprosium
Why this matters:
- These minerals power EVs, wind turbines, semiconductors and defence systems
- China dominates global supply
The West wants strategic alternatives and Greenland offers that option.
๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ?
- Legally, the US can acquire Greenland only with consent:
1) Approval from Denmark
2) Approval from Greenlandโs self-ruling parliament
- Another option discussed is a Compact of Free Association, where Greenland stays self-governing but relies on the US for defence and economic support.
- Path to greater US influence runs through negotiation and consent and not ownership or force.