A few days after the kidnapping of President Maduro by American forces in Venezuela, Donald Trump suggested that other regions of the world were in his sights, notably Greenland. Since his first term, the American president has shown his interest in this autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic, rich in minerals. An interest which, however, does not date from the Trump era.

Published on: 01/06/2026 - 5:54 p.m.

To display this YouTube content, it is necessary to authorize audience measurement and advertising cookies.

An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the loading of the video player. To be able to watch this content, you must disable or uninstall it.

American President Donald Trump is studying "several options" to acquire Greenland, including "using the army", his spokesperson declared on Tuesday January 6, further fueling concern in Europe about the fate of the Arctic island, an autonomous Danish territory.

In a joint declaration, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom on Tuesday provided their support to Denmark in the face of Donald Trump's demands on Greenland. “It is up to Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to decide on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland,” declared the European leaders, stressing that the kingdom is “part” of NATO like the United States, itself linked to Copenhagen by a defense agreement.

To display this X content (Twitter), it is necessary to authorize audience measurement and advertising cookies.

This declaration follows new threats made by the American president against this autonomous Danish territory. Asked by the American magazine The Atlantic about the implications for Greenland of the military operation carried out by American special forces in Venezuela which led to the kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife, Donald Trump declared at the end of last week that it was up to his partners to assess them: "They will have to form their own opinion. I really don't know." “We need Greenland from a national security point of view, and Denmark will not be able to take care of it,” he then reaffirmed to journalists aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening. And added: "We will deal with Greenland in about two months...let's talk about Greenland in 20 days."

During his first term, the tenant of the White House had already expressed his desire to annex this immense Arctic island populated by 57,000 inhabitants. In August 2019, he said he wanted to buy the territory from Denmark. “It’s a big real estate transaction,” he declared after revelations from the Wall Street Journal about his interest in the island.

Also read: Greenland, a geostrategic crossroads for the United States

A land of desire

This Danish province has been a source of desire for hundreds of years. From the 10th century, the Scandinavians began to colonize this territory discovered in 982 by the Viking Eric the Red and inhabited until then by Native Americans. Until the beginning of the 18th century, Norwegians and Danes disputed its sovereignty. In 1814, when the two kingdoms separated, Greenland was retained by Denmark under the Treaty of Kiel.

At the same time, the Americans claimed Greenland as part of their sphere of influence. With the doctrine of President James Monroe in 1824, they warned European states against any interference in the affairs of the “Americas”. “From a US point of view, Greenland is North American”, underlines on France 24, Mikaa Blugeon-Mered, geopolitics researcher specializing in Arctic regions.

Also read: Canada, Greenland, Panama Canal: delusions of grandeur of an expansionist Trump?

From one war to another

A few decades later, they already made a first attempt at annexation. In 1867, they tried to acquire it in a "lot" which also included Iceland, but Denmark refused the offer. They have to settle for Alaska, bought for seven million dollars from Russia. During the First World War, the two countries were again in talks. In 1917, the United States purchased the Virgin Islands (formerly the Danish West Indies) from Denmark to secure the Panama Canal for the sum of 25 million dollars. At the same time, they recognize the sovereignty of the Scandinavian kingdom over Greenland.

During the following conflict, while Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany and all contact with Greenland was broken, the United States applied the Monroe Doctrine which condemned any attempt at expansion of American powers on the American continent. In April 1941, they signed a defense agreement with the Danish ambassador to the United States, against the instructions of his own government in exile. This text allows the presence of American troops on Greenlandic soil, becoming a de facto American protectorate. They established a number of bases there, including Thule, known today as Pittufik. After World War II, President Harry Truman again offered in 1946 to buy the island for $100 million, but Denmark again refused.

During the Cold War, the territory once again proved strategic. The two countries conclude a new agreement allowing the Americans to reinforce their Thule base, which becomes a real enclave of the American army. “If there had been exchanges of intercontinental ballistic missiles which were to head towards the United States, they had to go through the Arctic. That is why they created this base which still exists. It is their first curtain of defense”, explains Mikaa Blugeon-Mered, author of “The Polar Worlds” (PUF editions).

Also read Greenland: Pituffik, the military base at the end of the world that the United States holds so dear

Political, strategic and resource issues

Given this long history, this researcher was not surprised by the recent statements of the American president. “When he proposed buying Greenland in 2019, it raised a lot of eyebrows. A lot of journalists called me saying that it was completely stupid, when that is not at all the case. There are political, strategic and resource issues,” he believes.

With global warming and melting ice, Greenland now finds itself on the path to new, highly coveted maritime routes that could shorten commercial traffic. In March 2025, Donald Trump said he was worried about Chinese and Russian presences in the Arctic region. “We have our usual thieves roaming around near the coast and we have to be careful, we will talk to you about it,” he said.

This territory of two million km2 covered with 85% ice also has vast mining reserves, including rare earths, these metals essential to the production of our smartphones, computers or electric cars, but also untapped oil. “According to the United States Geological Survey, Greenland could have hydrocarbon reserves of around 31 billion barrels of oil equivalent. That represents roughly 15% of Saudi Arabia's reserves to give an order of magnitude,” describes Mikaa Blugeon-Mered. However, access to these resources promises to be complicated. “All the foreign companies that have tried to find commercial or at least exploitable deposits have failed,” specifies the researcher.

For Mikaa Blugeon-Mered, “this geoeconomic battle is transforming into a geopolitical battle.” “When the Chinese are interested in Greenland, it is essentially for the question of resources. When the Russians are interested there, it is essentially for the question of the lock. Finally, when it is the Americans or the Europeans, it is for all of these subjects,” he believes.

Faced with these desires, Greenland repeats in any case that it is not for sale and wants to decide its future alone. In January 2025, 85% of Greenlanders said they were opposed to joining the United States, according to a survey published in the Danish and Greenlandic press. Only 6% were in favor.

Keywords associated with the article

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.