<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/usa" rel="" target="_blank" title="US"><span>US</span></a><span> forces </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-celebrates-kidnapping-nicola-maduro/f507b1bd-f86b-4519-95d0-be14119cc886" rel="" target="_blank" title="struck"><span>struck</span></a><span> the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/venezuela" rel="" target="_blank" title="Venezuelan"><span>Venezuelan</span></a><span> capital and ousted the country's president Nicolás Maduro, it turned one of President </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/donald-trump" rel="" target="_blank" title="Donald Trump's"><span>Donald Trump's</span></a><span> rhetorical threats into reality.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the days since, his frequent musings about other items on his foreign policy wishlist have rung with renewed force, especially his repeated desire for the US to </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/white-house-discussing-range-of-options-including-military-for-controlling-greenland/38fc902f-613c-4986-9827-0cbbcf046a83" rel="" target="_blank" title="take over"><span>take over</span></a><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/greenland" rel="" target="_blank" title="Greenland"><span>Greenland</span></a><span> – the vast autonomous Arctic territory ruled by </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/denmark" rel="" target="_blank" title="Denmark"><span>Denmark</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the wake of such a brazen display of US military power in Venezuela, this rhetoric has taken on a different character, straining Washington's relationship with its </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/nato" rel="" target="_blank" title="NATO"><span>NATO</span></a><span> ally.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/uk-france-troops-ukraine-keir-starmer/71637d79-7cd8-4242-9d81-83c5fb2457e3" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>UK, France considers sending troops to Ukraine</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated that she had already "made it very clear where the Kingdom of Denmark stands, and that Greenland has repeatedly said that it does not want to be part of the United States."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She even warned that it could lead to the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/danish-prime-minister-says-a-us-takeover-of-greenland-would-mark-the-end-of-nato/8d4d1089-391f-4e5d-8c17-69f7a201d793" rel="" target="_blank" title="demise"><span>demise</span></a><span> of the NATO alliance.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>So why might Trump keep turning his attention to this remote, sparsely populated island – and why is it causing tensions with Europe?</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/greenland-usa-donald-trump/2e9bb3bf-7892-4ab8-85ef-5580989224fb" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>What is Greenland like?</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Greenland, a resource-rich island of 2.16 million square kilometres, is a former Danish colony and now an autonomous territory of Denmark, situated in the Arctic.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's the world's least densely populated country and is so remote that its 56,000 residents travel by boat, helicopter and plane between its towns, which are predominantly scattered along the island's western coast.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nuuk, the territory's capital city, is emblematic of those towns, featuring brightly coloured houses crowded together between a jagged coastline and inland mountains.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Outside the towns, Greenland is mostly wilderness with 81 per cent of its land under ice. Nearly 90 per cent of its population is of Inuit origin and the territory's economy has long revolved around fishing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-weather-update-melbourne-and-adelaide-heatwave/6a05417b-0231-488d-9de8-470a5c6569d3" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Capital city to swelter in record temperatures as heatwave takes hold</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Why is it so important strategically?</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Greenland occupies a strategic geopolitical position, sitting between the US and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/europe" rel="" target="_blank" title="Europe"><span>Europe</span></a><span> and astride the so-called GIUK gap – a maritime passage between Greenland, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/iceland" rel="" target="_blank" title="Iceland"><span>Iceland</span></a><span>, and the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/uk" rel="" target="_blank" title="UK"><span>UK</span></a><span> that links the Arctic to the Atlantic Ocean.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Its rich deposits of natural resources, including oil, gas and rare earth minerals, make it even more strategically important, especially as </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/china" rel="" target="_blank" title="China"><span>China</span></a><span> has leveraged its domination of the rare earth industry to exert pressure on the US.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>These rare earth minerals are increasingly crucial to the global economy since they are required to manufacture everything from electric cars and wind turbines to military equipment.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/uk-eta-for-australian-2026-travel-rules-changes-dual-citizen-passport-requirements/6d415761-bdea-4d26-8aa5-35baf5cda026" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>'Doesn't feel fair': Australian-British citizens caught out by new passport rule</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Greenland's trove of minerals may become more accessible as the climate crisis melts Arctic ice, a phenomenon which also makes northern shipping routes navigable for more time throughout the year, potentially reorienting trade and making the region even more important, despite Trump calling the climate crisis "the greatest con job."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump has downplayed the significance of Greenland's natural resources, telling reporters last month: "We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But his former national security adviser Mike Waltz suggested in January 2024 that Trump's focus was on natural resources, telling Fox News that the administration's focus on Greenland was "about critical minerals" and "natural resources."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>What does Venezuela have to do with it?</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The day after US forces snatched Maduro from his home, Trump repeated that the US needs Greenland "from the standpoint of national security," before White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller reiterated those claims on Monday, further sharpening the spotlight on the Arctic territory.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We need Greenland…it's so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/russia" rel="" target="_blank" title="Russian"><span>Russian</span></a><span> and Chinese ships all over the place," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, despite at first saying he didn't want to talk about it.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Doubling down on Tuesday, the White House said it is "discussing a range of options" to acquire Greenland and that using the US military is not off the table.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>What has Trump said before?</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump inquired about the possibility of buying Greenland during his first term and, despite being told by the island that "Greenland is not for sale," he revived those calls in December 2024, saying in a social media post: "For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/venezuela-donald-trump-claims-of-running-venezuela-leave-questions-despite-congressional-briefing/8e284b48-cdbe-4bbc-b1ee-a290d4ef1fd7" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Trump's claims of running Venezuela leave questions despite congressional briefing</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He claimed that the US needs Greenland for "economic security," before Vice President JD Vance travelled to the island in March 2025 where he said it was "the policy of the United States" to see changes to the island's Danish leadership, but acknowledged that Greenlanders should decide their future.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Polling in Greenland shows clear opposition to becoming part of the US, with 85 per cent of Greenlanders against American rule, Reuters reported.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>What does this mean for NATO?</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If the US uses military action to seize Greenland – something Trump has pointedly refused to rule out – it could fracture the NATO alliance.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Frederiksen said, "if the US chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, everything stops, including NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of World War II."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Tuesday, leaders from major European powers expressed support for Denmark and Greenland, adding that Arctic security must be upheld collectively with NATO allies, including the US.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/le-constellation-fire-fire-safety-inspections-lapsed-for-years-at-swiss-bar-where-40-died-in-new-years-blaze/2664a915-305c-4d69-9637-a94756979d0a" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Swiss bar hit by deadly fire had not been inspected in five years</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark said in a joint statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>What do Greenlanders think?</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump's frequent posturing about Greenland strikes right at the heart of the territory's politics, which has long been shaped by Denmark's colonial legacy and a push for independence.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Greenland was incorporated into Denmark in 1953, as a tide of decolonisation swept the globe following World War II. In 1979 it was granted home rule; in 2009 it achieved self-government but its foreign, security, defence and monetary policy are all still controlled by Denmark.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>During recent election campaigns, Greenland's politicians have promised to take steps towards independence but have not offered a concrete timeline to do so. While not all Greenlanders want independence from Denmark, few want to trade Danish for US leadership.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the US's rhetoric "completely unacceptable."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/carer-charged-over-fatal-sydney-house-fire/769628b2-91f2-4524-932f-7177c6d1d4f9" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Carer charged over fatal house fire</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"When the President of the United States speaks of 'needing Greenland' and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not just wrong. It is disrespectful," he said in a statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"No more fantasies of annexation," Nielsen added. "We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But they must take place through the proper channels and in respect of international law … Greenland is our home and our territory. And it will remain so."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>According to Kuno Fencker, a member of parliament for the more pro-US Naleraq party, some of Trump's comments have been "received quite well."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If he says Greenland has the right to self-determination or they could join the United States, it's a big offer from the United States president," Fencker told CNN.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"But if journalists are putting words in his mouth about annexing or taking Greenland military, that's not been taken well," he added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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