United States President Donald Trump has announced plans for extensive oil, gas and mineral exploration in Greenland, highlighting the territory’s potential natural resources and strategic importance to Western security.
Trump disclosed this in a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, claiming that Greenland could hold vast quantities of easily accessible oil.
“Massive Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration is getting ready to begin in our new and beautiful Greenland!” he said.
The US president argued that the territory’s resource potential, combined with its geographical position, made it important to the economic and security interests of the United States and Europe.
“There are experts that are saying that the amount of easily available oil is far greater than that of almost any land, anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote.
He further described Greenland as strategically significant for military defence, arguing that its location could help the United States and its European allies respond to potential threats involving missiles, drones and other weapons.
Trump said the territory offered advantages in response time, positioning and visibility that could strengthen defence capabilities.
The announcement comes amid continuing diplomatic tensions over Trump’s ambition to bring Greenland under US control.
Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Its vast geographical area and Arctic location have attracted international interest because of its mineral resources and strategic position, although extracting resources presents logistical and environmental challenges.
Trump has repeatedly argued that Greenland is vital to US national security and has threatened to annex the territory.
In January, he announced that he and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland”.
The latest announcement follows an agreement reached by the United States, Denmark and Greenland about a month ago to ease tensions arising from Trump’s repeated statements about taking control of the island.
However, Trump did not provide specific details about the proposed exploration activities, including the companies expected to participate, the areas to be explored or the commencement date.
The extent to which the plans would involve Greenland’s authorities and existing regulatory arrangements also remains unclear.
The proposed exploration could add another dimension to the geopolitical competition surrounding the Arctic, where strategic positioning, access to natural resources and security interests have become increasingly important to major powers.
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