Greenland Pushes Back on Trump’s Warning and Resource Outlook
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Greenland’s deputy mining minister said large-scale drilling is still far off, even as President Donald Trump said the Arctic territory could hold major energy resources and carries strategic importance for U.S. defense.
Greenland's government pushed back on President Donald Trump's Wednesday claim that "massive oil, gas and mineral exploitation is getting ready to begin" in the Arctic territory, insisting that current activity does not amount to the kind of large-scale development he described. Deputy mining minister Jørgen Hammeken-Holm acknowledged the presence of U.S. company activities but said the island is "very far away from 'massive' exploration." He noted that several smaller projects are underway, but said they could take years to become operational, echoing researchers who cite the technical challenges and high costs of extracting resources in Greenland's remote, ice-covered regions, where about 80% of the land is under a mile-thick ice sheet.
Trump posted on Truth Social that experts say Greenland holds more easily accessible oil than almost any other land, and he warned that any future attack on the United States would have to cross Greenland, where U.S. defenses would intercept threats. His comments highlighted Greenland's strategic importance as well as its resource potential, even as officials emphasized that any development would still be limited and slow-moving. The statement follows a recent agreement among the United States, Denmark and Greenland that reaffirmed Denmark's sovereignty and Greenlanders' right to self-determination while updating a 1951 NATO treaty to allow continued U.S. military access. The pact mentions "minerals cooperation" and "economic development and business promotion" but does not specify oil or gas projects. It also facilitates additional U.S. bases and guarantees military access if Greenland were to become independent.
CNN has sought comments from the White House, the Danish prime minister's office and Greenland's Mineral Resources Authority.