With even more pressure and essentially by formulating a demand towards her, the president of the USA responded to the reactions caused by the position of the special envoy for her. More specifically, according to the American president, the USA “needs” Greenland, which belongs to Denmark and has a status of relative autonomy, to shield its security against and .
As characteristically stated from Palm Beach, Florida, the US president, with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth by his side, responding to the reactions of Denmark and the European side: “We need Greenland for our national security.” He added: “If we look at the coast of Greenland, there are Russian and Chinese ships everywhere. We need it for our national security.” In fact, giving a dramatic tone to his demand and making an attempt to influence the balance between Greenland and Denmark, he added that: “The Greenlanders are not militarily protected by Copenhagen.”
Group fire against Trump and Landry
These statements, along with Hegseth’s, come in response to the reactions of Denmark and the EU to the appointment of the governor of Louisiana, the Republican Jeff Landry, to the position of the special envoy of the US to Greenland.
This appointment caused a strong reaction from Copenhagen and the European Union, which expressed its “full solidarity with Denmark” yesterday, Monday.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen recalled in their statement that “national borders and the sovereignty of states are based on international law.”
“One cannot annex another country. Not even invoking international security,” the two leaders underlined, adding that they expect “respect for our common territorial integrity.”
Copenhagen summoned the American ambassador. “We have very clearly drawn a red line,” said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loke Rasmussen.
“As long as we have in Denmark a kingdom consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, we cannot accept that some people undermine our sovereignty,” he warned, speaking to public broadcaster DR.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, for their part, reminded through X that “territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law.”
Why Trump Really Wants Greenland
The United States’ interest in Greenland is based on hard geopolitical calculations. Its strategic location between North America and Europe makes it a focal point for the security of the Arctic and the North Atlantic.
It is home to the Pituffik space base, critical to US early warning systems for possible incoming missiles, but also to possible military operations in the Arctic. As climate change accelerates the melting of the ice, the importance of Greenland increases, since new sea lanes are opened, with what this implies for competition regarding the exploitation of the region’s natural resources and, by extension, the balance of power in terms of military power locally.
Control of Greenland offers – not only to the US, but also to Denmark and the EU – a long-term economic and strategic advantage, as it also holds significant reserves of rare earths and other critical minerals needed for cutting-edge technology, green energy and modern weapons systems — areas currently dominated by China. The strengthening of American influence could significantly reduce the US dependence on Chinese rare earths, thus creating a new balance in the trade rivalry between the two powers, which Beijing brought to its measures by “playing the card” of rare earths.
Although there has even been talk of buying Greenland in the past (a request clearly rejected by all other parties), the US does not need its ownership to achieve its goals. What they seek – and to which Denmark has declared that it is open – is permanent military access, but also the exploitation of the region.
