Why Trump wants to buy Greenland

America, China and Russia are all vying for control over the Arctic

Last week, Donald Trump appointed his new ambassador to Denmark: Ken Howery, a co-founder of PayPal and the ambassador to Sweden during Trump’s first administration. Making the announcement on Truth Social, Trump’s social-media platform, the US president-elect declared that ‘for purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity’ (sic). Unsurprisingly, this apparent bid to take the Arctic island off Denmark’s hands has ruffled more than a few feathers.

Was this just a throwaway remark? After all, since his election victory, Trump has also threatened to take control of the Panama Canal if it does not reduce its transit charges for ships carrying trade and weapons. He has also said that making Canada the 51st state of America is ‘a great idea’. Most observers have dismissed all this as just bluster, as the incoming administration gears up to renegotiate the terms of trade with America’s allies.

Then again, this wasn’t the first time Trump has threatened to take control of Greenland. In 2019, he said he was interested in purchasing it from Denmark – despite both Greenland and Denmark insisting that it wasn’t for sale. He followed this up by tweeting a photoshopped image of a golden Trump Tower dwarfing a Greenlandic coastal village, along with a ‘promise not to do this to Greenland’.

This may sound like trolling, but Denmark, which has held sovereignty over Greenland for more than 600 years, is taking Trump seriously. Just hours after Trump’s statement, Copenhagen upped defence spending on Greenland by an unprecedented $1.5 billion. Meanwhile, from the capital of Nuuk, Greenlandic prime minister Múte Egede replied: ‘Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.’

There are plenty of reasons why Trump might actually be serious about a Greenland purchase. Those who support his plan cite both the Kremlin’s permanent Arctic fleet at Murmansk in north-west Russia and the Chinese Communist Party’s growing naval power. Greenland has both military and strategic significance, as well as a lot of vital minerals.

The minerals question is not trivial. Greenland has supplies of uranium, lithium, graphite and rare earths. Trump may hope that climate change will melt Greenland’s ice sheet, making these more accessible. As it stands, mining in Greenland is a tough business and the impact of climate change on the Arctic tends to be exaggerated.

Still, the CCP’s current stranglehold over world supplies of graphite and rare earths has already disturbed the West. Graphite plays a significant role in modern weapons manufacturing and Beijing is tightening the restrictions on graphite exports that it first imposed last year. It’s a similar picture when it comes to rare earths, too.

Melting ice could also open up a major route for freighters around Greenland’s west coast. Washington fears these waters could come to be dominated by China, which has put in a great deal of effort into trying to expand its influence over Greenland. Last year, the CCP welcomed a Greenlandic diplomatic office to Beijing. And although Chinese investment in Greenland’s three airports and in its mining industry have for now been rebuffed by locals, the US is no doubt keen to ensure Beijing can’t get a foothold in such a strategically important region.

This is not just about keeping global trade routes open. Vital infrastructure, including undersea cables, are at risk of sabotage if control of these seas fall into Chinese or Russian hands. Only recently, Kremlin spy ships were spotted monitoring cables in the Irish Sea and were suspected of cutting some in the Baltic Sea. Just last month, the Danish military detained a Chinese-flagged vessel in the Baltic, suspecting it had been responsible for cutting two data cables on the sea floor.

In Trump’s mind, taking control of Greenland would not only address these immediate security threats, but also reinforce his broader strategy in regards to the EU and NATO. In demanding that NATO’s European members up their defence spending, threatening tariffs on the EU and now attempting to buy Greenland, Trump is telling Europe that America’s strategic interests, at least as he sees them, come first. What this means for the defence of Europe or for the sovereignty of allied nations is not his primary concern.

Trump’s Greenland remarks are clearly more than just stray thoughts being aired on social media. There is far more to this putative land grab than initially meets the eye. European officials would be wise to take it seriously.

Photo: File ID 35414574 | © Theworldtrekker | Dreamstime.com