President Donald Trump even ridiculed Denmark’s sled teams in Greenland.
He talked about mysterious Chinese and Russian ships prowling the coast.
And he seems increasingly obsessed with the idea that the United States should take control of this huge frozen island. One official even said that the president wants to buy it, another suggested that the US could simply take the island. A few days ago, Trump said: “We need Greenland for national security reasons.”
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But the real question is: does the US really need to buy Greenland — or do something more radical — to achieve Trump’s goals?
In fact, under a little-known Cold War agreement, the US already has broad military access to Greenland. They have a base in a very remote corner of the island. But the agreement allows them to “build, install, maintain and operate” military bases throughout Greenland, “house personnel” and control landings, takeoffs, anchorings, movements and operations of ships, planes and vessels.
This agreement was signed in 1951 by the USA and Denmark, which colonized Greenland more than 300 years ago and still controls part of the island’s affairs.
“The US has so much freedom in Greenland that it can pretty much do whatever it wants,” says Mikkel Runge Olesen, a researcher at the Danish Institute of International Studies in Copenhagen.
“I find it hard to imagine that the U.S. couldn’t get pretty much anything it wanted if it asked nicely.”
But buying Greenland — something Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said is Trump’s latest plan — is another story.
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Greenland doesn’t want to be sold to anyone — especially not to the USA. And Denmark doesn’t have the authority to sell it, says Olesen.
“It’s impossible.”
In the past, Denmark would have the final say. In 1946, she turned down an offer of $100 million in gold from the Truman administration.
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Today, the situation is different. Greenlanders now have the right to hold a referendum on independence, and Danish officials say it is up to the island’s 57,000 residents to decide its future. A survey last year showed that 85% of residents are against the idea of American rule.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has previously scoffed at the idea of being bought, saying last week: “Our country is not for sale.”
The U.S.-Denmark defense agreement, which is short and to the point, was updated in 2004 to include Greenland’s semi-autonomous government, giving it a say in how U.S. military operations might affect the local population. The agreement has roots in a World War II partnership.
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After US special forces captured Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s president, last week, Trump appeared more confident. Stephen Miller, a top adviser, said Greenland should belong to the US and that “no one is going to stand up to the United States” over it. This left the Danes and Greenlanders very worried.
On Tuesday night, leaders of Denmark and Greenland asked to meet with Rubio, according to Greenland’s foreign minister. It is not known if or when this will happen.
Tensions between Trump and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen only increase as Trump insists on “conquering” Greenland and Frederiksen refuses to concede.
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A few days ago, Frederiksen cited the 1951 agreement, saying: “We already have a defense agreement between the kingdom and the US that gives broad access to Greenland.” She called on the US to “cease threats” and said an American attack on Greenland would mean the end of the world order.
European leaders also spoke out on Tuesday, citing the 1951 agreement and saying: “Greenland belongs to its people.”
Analysts say that if the US tried to use the agreement to send troops and occupy Greenland, it would not be legal.
Under the 2004 amendment, the US must consult Denmark and Greenland before making “any significant changes” to military operations on the island. The amendment, signed by General Colin Powell, then Secretary of State, explicitly recognizes Greenland as “an equal part of the kingdom of Denmark.”
Peter Ernstved Rasmussen, a Danish defense analyst, says that in practice, if Americans make reasonable requests, “the US will always get a yes.”
“It’s a matter of courtesy,” he says. “If the US wants to act without asking, it can simply notify Denmark that it will build a base, an airport or a port.”
This angers long-time Danish political pundits. If Trump wanted to bolster Greenland’s security now, he could. But there was no official request, says Jens Adser Sorensen, a former senior official in the Danish parliament.
“Why not use the defense agreement if they are so concerned about security?” he asks. “The mechanism is there. It’s working.”
But Greenland’s strategic location is not the only reason it attracts Trump’s inner circle. The huge island has another attraction: strategic minerals, many of them, buried under the ice. And, according to analysts, the US does not need to take the island to obtain these resources.
Greenlanders say they are open to doing business — with just about anyone.
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