The US president is claiming he wants to annex Greenland for the sake of national security – but experts suggest he has ulterior motives.
By Jake Levison and Lauren Russell,
Donald Trump has vowed to implement a wave of increasing tariffs on the UK and seven other European countries until the US is allowed to buy Greenland.
The US president has previously said he is “very serious” about annexing the vast Danish territory – and has not ruled out taking the territory by force.
Here’s what you need to know about why Mr Trump wants Greenland and what the territory’s leaders have said in response. Plus, what could the ramifications be?
Trump says US ‘needs’ Greenland for national security
Greenland, which is northeast of Canada, is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and has been for hundreds of years – but Mr Trump claims the US “has to have” it.
Straddling the Arctic Circle between the US, Russia and Europe, the island of just 57,000 people offers a unique geopolitical advantage that America has eyed for more than 150 years. Its location makes it a critical site for the US ballistic missile defence system, and it is already home to a large US military base.
The idea of taking Greenland is not a new one for Mr Trump, who raised the possibility during his first term when he said he had considered purchasing it.
But he has since reiterated the benefits it could have for America’s national security and has strengthened his rhetoric.
Speaking to Sky News’ US partner network NBC News earlier this month, the US president said: “We need Greenland for national security, and that includes Europe.
“We need it for national security, right now.”
He said it was “very important for the national security of the United States, Europe, and other parts of the free world”.
He also said he had “no timeline” for taking action, but maintained he was “very serious” in his intent. In late December, the president appointed Louisiana’s governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, saying he would “lead the charge” in advocating for the territory to become part of the US.
Previously, Mr Trump mocked local efforts to defend the sparsely populated island, saying “they added one more dog sled” that would be no match for the “Russian and Chinese ships” he claimed were “all over the place” around the territory.
Is there really a national security threat in Greenland?
Peter Viggo Jakobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, is among experts who have rubbished Mr Trump’s claims that Russian and Chinese ships are posing a threat around Greenland.
“There is no acute problem to solve – the
Chinese and Russian ships that he keeps talking about are a figment of his imagination,” Dr Jakobsen told Sky News.
“There is no security threat to Greenland,” he added, explaining that China does not operate warships and submarines in the Arctic and that while Russia may operate the odd submarine near Greenland on occasion, “that is it”.
Rich in natural resources
Greenland holds rich deposits of various natural resources.
Locked inside the island are valuable rare earth minerals needed for telecommunications, as well as uranium, billions of untapped barrels of oil and a vast supply of natural gas that used to be inaccessible but is becoming less so.
Many of the same minerals are currently mostly supplied by China, so countries including the US are interested in tapping into available resources closer to home.
Source: news.sky.com/story/why-trump-
