American President Donald Trump reiterated his desire for the United States to buy Greenland after a US military operation overthrew and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month. This swiftly went from looking like political bluster to becoming a major international controversy.
While a possible purchase has also been suggested, Trump says he plans to take control of the island “the easy way” or “the hard way”.
His demands however has strongly been rejected by Greenland’s leaders and by Nato member Denmark, of which the island is a semi-autonomous territory.
Where is the territory and why does it matter to Trump?
The largest island in the world, Greenland, is situated in the Arctic. It is about six times the size of Germany, at 2.2 million square kilometres (836,330 square miles).
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With only 56,000 inhabitants, the majority of whom are native Inuit, it is also the world’s most sparsely populated region.
It is ideally situated for early warning systems in the case of missile attacks and for monitoring shipping in the area due to its location between North America and the Arctic.
According to the BBC, the US had intended to place nuclear weapons on the island during the height of the Cold War, but the proposal was shelved due to technical issues and Denmark’s opposition.
The US has operated Pituffik Space Base – formerly known as Thule Air Base – since World War Two. It currently monitors for missiles.
About 80% of Greenland is covered by ice, meaning most people live on the south-western coast around the capital, Nuuk.
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Its primary source of income is fishing, and the Danish government provides substantial subsidies.
Greenland’s natural resources, such as iron, uranium, and rare earth minerals, have drawn more attention in recent years. It might also contain substantial amounts of gas and oil.
When the island’s ice sheet melts due to global warming, these resources might become more accessible.
Valuable mineral resources have been a key focus of Trump elsewhere, including in his dealings with Ukraine. However, the US president has said: “We need Greenland for national security, not minerals.”
More than once, he has described the threat he perceives from rival powers, saying that “if we don’t take Greenland, Russia or China will take Greenland”.
What have Denmark and other Nato allies said about Greenland’s future?
Greenland is a part of NATO through Denmark but lacks an autonomous military of its own.
Copenhagen, which has historically maintained tight ties with Washington, is astonished by Trump’s position on the island’s future.
Any attempt to seize Greenland would mean the end of NATO, according to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Together with the leaders of fellow NATO members France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain, she and her UK colleague Sir Keir Starmer signed a statement. It stated that “Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations.”
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Other European countries including France, Sweden and Germany have stated that they will send military personnel to the territory for exercises and security purposes.
