United States President Donald Trump on Sunday reignited controversy over Greenland, declaring that the US would take control of the Danish territory “one way or the other,” citing national security concerns and growing Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic region.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Washington could not afford to allow strategic rivals gain a foothold in the mineral-rich Arctic island, which is a self-governing territory under Denmark. “If we don’t take Greenland, Russia or China will, and I’m not letting that happen,” Trump said, despite the fact that neither Moscow nor Beijing has laid any formal claim to the vast territory.
Trump argued that controlling Greenland is crucial to US national security, pointing to increased military activity by Russia and China in the Arctic as global competition intensifies over shipping routes, natural resources and strategic positioning.
The president added that he would be open to negotiating a deal with Greenland’s authorities and Denmark but insisted that US control of the island was inevitable. “We’re open to making a deal, but one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland,” he said.
Greenland, the world’s largest island, is strategically located between North America and Europe and is rich in rare earth minerals critical to modern technology and defence systems.
The US already maintains a military presence on the island through the Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base. Trump’s remarks echo similar statements he made during his presidency, which were firmly rejected by Danish and Greenlandic leaders, who insisted that the territory is not for sale.
His latest comments are expected to renew diplomatic debate over Arctic security, sovereignty and great-power competition in the region. The statements have also drawn global attention as geopolitical tensions rise in the Arctic, an area increasingly viewed as a new frontier in international rivalry.
