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Greenland’s government is set to participate in a meeting next week with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Danish officials, following renewed interest from the U.S. in the Arctic territory, Greenland’s foreign minister announced on Wednesday.
An anonymous senior U.S. official informed Reuters that President Trump’s pursuit of acquiring Greenland remains active during his current term, suggesting that the initiative “is not going away.”
The island’s pivotal location between Europe and North America renders it a crucial element for the U.S. ballistic missile defense system. Furthermore, Greenland’s rich mineral resources align with the United States’ strategic goals to decrease its dependence on Chinese imports.
Though Greenland is not an independent NATO member, it is included under Denmark’s membership in the alliance.
President Trump has maintained that Greenland holds significant military importance for the United States, criticizing Denmark for allegedly failing to adequately protect the island. This criticism persists despite Denmark’s commitment last year of 42 billion Danish crowns (approximately $9.73 billion) to enhance its military presence in the Arctic region.
On Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT), Greenland’s government announced it had requested an urgent meeting with Rubio, along with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, to address the situation and “clear up certain misunderstandings.”
What could Trump do next?
“I think that the president supports an independent Greenland with economic ties and trade opportunities for the United States,” Landry said, adding that the US had more to offer than Europe.
The White House said in a statement to Reuters: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”
Concerns over NATO, Russia and China
Nordic foreign ministers — from Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark — in a joint statement this week said had increased their investments in Arctic security and offered to do more in consultation with the US and other NATO allies.
