Greenland holds strategic importance for US security, says Trump

US President Donald Trump stated that Greenland is strategically important to the United States, mainly for national security reasons.

Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump emphasised that Washington’s interest in Greenland is not driven by its natural resources, Caliber.Az reports.

“If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, Russia, Chinese ships all over the place. We need it for national security,” the American leader said.

Earlier, on December 22, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry thanked Trump for appointing a special envoy to Greenland and confirmed that the US is considering the possibility of acquiring the island.

Greenland is the world’s largest island and a self‑governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, gaining extensive autonomy in 2009 with the right to pursue full independence while Denmark retains control over foreign and defence policy.

Its strategic value stems from its Arctic location guarding the North Atlantic and the GIUK (Greenland‑Iceland‑United Kingdom) gap, where the US and NATO monitor Russian naval movement, with the US operating the Pituffik Space Base there for missile warning and surveillance.

Climate change is exposing mineral deposits and potential northern shipping routes, increasing interest from global powers; Greenland holds rare earth elements and resources crucial for technology and defence, drawing competition especially between the US, Russia and China.

Tensions arise as US strategic ambitions, including proposals to increase influence or even acquire Greenland, clash with Denmark’s and Greenlandic leaders’ insistence on sovereignty and self‑determination, reflecting broader geopolitical competition in the Arctic.

By Jeyhun Aghazada