China, Russia’s growing Arctic presence underpins Trump’s Greenland musings

Observers doubt the new US president will buy the world’s largest island but his interest underlines its strategic importance

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Published: 6:00am, 22 Jan 2025Updated: 9:52am, 22 Jan 2025

President Donald Trump’s claim that US ownership and control of Greenland is “an absolute necessity” has underlined the strategic importance of the world’s largest island in terms of American missile defences and anti-submarine operations.

While analysts doubt the US will buy Greenland – both Denmark and the island’s government have declared it is “not for sale” – an increased US military presence could “heat up” the competition with China and Russia in the Arctic region.

Trump sparked consternation in Nato, and particularly Denmark – which colonised Greenland until 1979 and now administers the island as a self-governing territory – with his remarks in the run-up to Monday’s inauguration that the US could take the island, by force if necessary.

In a post on his Truth Social platform in December, Trump declared the “absolute necessity” of bringing Greenland – which is also reported to have vast stores of critical minerals – under US control, citing “national security and freedom throughout the world”.

At a Mar-a-Lago press conference on January 14, he declined to give an assurance that his administration would not use military or economic coercion to gain control over Greenland or the Panama Canal, another territory in his sights.

“People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security,” he said. “You look outside, you have China ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We’re not letting that happen.”

Trump first expressed an interest in buying the island in 2019, during his first term in office. He was swiftly rebuffed by Nuuk and Copenhagen, who described it as an “absurd” proposition.