President Trump said Wednesday that “massive” exploration for oil, gas and minerals is set to begin in Greenland.
In a statement shared on Truth Social, Mr. Trump declared that “Massive Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration is getting ready to begin in our new and beautiful Greenland,” offering no further details about the plans.
He also claimed that experts believe Greenland contains more easily accessible oil than “almost any land, anywhere in the World.”
Mr. Trump further emphasized the island’s strategic importance to the defense of the United States and Europe. He said any future attack on the U.S. would have to pass across the semi-autonomous territory, where American defenses could “routinely knock down drones, missiles, or any other form of weapon not yet conceived.”
“It gives us time, location, and sightline, like nowhere else in the World!” he added.
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The comments came more than four weeks after the United States, Greenland and Denmark, which is responsible for the territory’s foreign and security affairs, signed a new security agreement aimed at strengthening the American military and security presence on the island.
The agreement grants the U.S. broad access to Greenland’s airspace and territory. Although its primary focus is military operations, it also references resource extraction and “minerals cooperation” between the parties without providing specific details.
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The plan permits the U.S. to expand Pituffik Space Base, the country’s northernmost military installation and an early-warning site for incoming missiles. It also allows the establishment of additional bases at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, locations separated by roughly 950 miles. The three parties may propose further “defense areas,” provided the others approve them.
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The agreement has no expiration date and bars non-NATO countries from creating military bases on Greenland without the consent of the United States, Denmark and Greenland.
Since his first term in office, Mr. Trump has pointed to Greenland’s strategic position as a reason for seeking greater U.S. control over the semi-autonomous island. He has previously suggested buying Greenland from Denmark and has not ruled out the use of military force.
Some industry experts say Greenland’s mineral wealth remains largely unexplored. Until now, however, the high cost of extracting those resources has generally made commercial development uneconomical for private companies.
