Denmark Rejects Trump's Greenland Resource Claims, Citing Island's Laws

Denmark has asserted that any US resource exploration in Greenland must adhere to the island’s existing laws, pushing back against President Donald Trump’s assertions of imminent oil, gas, and mineral extraction. The Danish Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that a recent agreement between Denmark, Greenland, and the US does not alter the regulatory framework for extraction activities.

The ministry stated that the agreement “does not grant investors from the US any preferential treatment” compared to investors from other NATO and EU countries regarding access to Greenland’s natural resources. This statement follows a post by President Trump on Truth Social, where he referred to the semi-autonomous Danish territory as “our new and beautiful Greenland” and declared that “Massive Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration is getting ready to begin,” without providing specific details.

The agreement, signed by Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, concluded months of tension stemming from Trump’s previous aspirations to control Greenland. The 10-page document permits the US to “modernise and expand” its operations at the Pituffik Space Base, a US military facility in northwest Greenland. It also lays the groundwork for two new military bases and Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defence system, while simultaneously reaffirming Danish sovereignty and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination. Notably, the deal does not grant any rights for mining or drilling.

Greenland enacted a ban on uranium mining and all future oil exploration in 2021. The island’s government is currently reviewing whether a Texas-based firm, Greenland Energy, can proceed with permits that predate this ban. In August, the company announced plans to drill for oil in 2027 in an untested basin on Greenland’s east coast, despite lacking its own permit.

Danish security policy adviser Jacob Kaarsbo suggested that Trump’s remarks might indicate his persistent desire to control Greenland. “It is extremely dangerous to view this agreement between the Trump administration and Denmark as something that has altered Trump’s intentions,” Kaarsbo commented. Mikkel Olesen, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told Al Jazeera that the specifics concerning mining and exploration rights remain ambiguous, advising that information originating primarily from the US side should be treated “with a grain of salt.” Richard Weitz, a fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome, observed that while Trump “backed down and settled for less” than initially sought, he still “got pretty much everything he wanted, except formal annexation.”