Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that U.S. President Donald Trump is serious about taking over Greenland, adding that a U.S. attack on a NATO ally would be the end of all, with concern in Copenhagen renewed after Washington’s recent actions against Venezuela hardened views on Trump’s use of power.
“If the United States decides to militarily attack another NATO country, then everything would stop — that includes NATO and therefore post-World War II security,” Mette Frederiksen told Danish television network TV2.
On Sunday, Trump repeated that the US needs Greenland “from the standpoint of national security.”
“We need Greenland. … It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”
Greenland is a large Arctic territory spanning 2.17 million square kilometers (836,000 sq mi), making it the world’s largest island. However, its land area (ice-free) is much smaller, around 410,450 sq km, as nearly 80% of the island is covered by a massive ice sheet. That said, Trump’s interest in Greenland is partly due to its vast, untapped reserves of critical minerals vital for tech and defense, reducing reliance on China.
The Arctic holds significant deposits of rare earth elements, cobalt, nickel, and other metals crucial for batteries, EVs, and defense technology. Climate change is making critical minerals in the Arctic more accessible by melting ice and permafrost, opening up land for exploration, while also creating new challenges like destabilized infrastructure and environmental risks, leading to a complex geopolitical race for these resources vital for green tech.
While receding ice and thawing ground improve physical access for mining, creating opportunities for nations like Greenland, Russia, and Canada, it simultaneously threatens fragile ecosystems and Indigenous communities with pollution, as seen with past oil spills from thawing permafrost, raising serious sustainability questions.
By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com
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