Greenland - arguments 2

Not tried to mention news since it is changing so quickly. (Heard a joke telling that Trump should be nominated for a Nobel Price IN PHYSICS, since he can bend time).

 

 

Mandate

Trump, Vance etc. have questioned the Danish mandate even if USA in the treaty on purchase of the Virgin Islands in 1916-1917 did recognize Danish sovereignty over Greenland (Treaty of the Danish West Indies – Wikipedia. This Danish claim was challenged by Norway ending up in the International Court in 1933 deciding against Norway based among other on the Treaty of Kiel in 1814 and provided that Denmark did show permanent presence in Eastern Greenland hence the Sirius Patrol was established. Finaly USA in the baseagreement in 1951 confirmed the Danish control but was granted all baseright/military presence just on consultative basis. This agreement was renogotiated in 2002-4 to have Greenland to sign. Powell and Rumsfeld where negotiators for USA. At that time Denmark was deeply engaged in Afghanistan with severe losses to under the NATO article 5 to defend a country that seemingly could not defend it selv (USA).

 

Mandate/connection – other

Trump have a number of times spoken as if the Danish connection to Greenland is based on a few ships some hundred years ago. Much more to show how ridiculous this statement is can be read at Greenland – Wikipedia. A short version. Danes-Norwegians where present on the south-western coast well 500 years from 986 and even from there had presence some years in New Foundland Vinland – Wikipedia . The presence reappeared with a merchantile/clerical expedition in 1761 colonising the area around present Nuuk resulting among other in cristianity now being the dominant religion, clear Danish influence in the inuit/greenlandic language and a lot of people of mixed origin. By now 6% of the population are named Danish, nearly all familynames originates from Denmark and more than a quarter of the Greenlanders live in Denmark.

 

DogSleigh – military defence

Trump has a number of times stated that the (only) Danish military step up has been one extra dog sleigh. This is not correct. No extra dog sleigh have been purchased but 15 extra dogs from the western part of north Greenland have come in and ability to parachute down manned snow scooters have been established over the last year. 

In spring 2025 significant other military step-up purchases where decided much of which ment for the arctic area eg. raising from 27 F35 fighter jets (of which 6 stationed in USA) to 43. Denmark to acquire 16 additional F-35 fighter jets . Different figures from 5 to 10 billion US$ have been mentioned, CBS in Trump repeats false or exaggerated claims about Greenland as he pushes for U.S. ownership – CBS News mentions $6.5 billion over a decade.

In september some European NATO-partners participated in “Arctic Light 2025” Large-Scale Exercise in Greenland with NATO Allies and in mid January 2026 followed up by the actual “Arctic Endurance” that have been clearly observable in Nuuk and due to the reaction from Trump to put further tarifs on imports from (most of) the participating European countries.

 

Chinese ships and investments

Trump and his gang has repeatedly told that the greenlandic seas are crowded with russian and Chinese ships.

According to the Danish minister of Foreign Affairs Løkke Rasmussen it is 10 years since a chinese warship did sail in the actual waters and they are not even of any significance among commercial ships. As part of the Chinese “Road and Belt” concept the NorthWest Passage (North of Canada and down between Canada and Greenland have been of their interest but until further Global Warming or Chinese improved U-boat technology to pass under artic ice there are no actual consequenses. The subject is descriped in a Danish Military Intelligence Report in 2025 Verden ifølge Gram | Lyt som podcast | DR LYD (55min. In Danish) the main chinese activity is in the field of research in the complexity of ice and waters and in the area north of Siberia. A research that could also be of military use.

Chinese companies have shown interest in Greenlandic mining most significant in a project based on the socalled rare earthmetals. This was stopped both by Danish governmental influence and local environmental resistance since the potential mine also included uranium.

 

Russian ships.

The probably biggest part of the Russian Navy is based in Murmansk using the sea between Norway and Greenland to get to the Atlantic. The western part of that sea (closest to Greenland) is due to ice the clearly most difficult part to pass nearly all the year, so landbased observations from eastern Greenland is not of much purpose. Both u-boats and surface ships are much easier to detect from air for instance using the Keflavik base on Iceland and ships north of Iceland and Faroe Islands (and Norway). These informations are confirmed in the above mentioned broadcast.

I do not now much about these detections and probably nearly everything is secret, but a researcher from DIIS (Danish Institute for International Studies attached to the Ministry of Defence) have publicly stated that no Russian (war-?)ships in the last year have passed the 290km wide Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland. Danish Warships have some activity along the Eastcoast of Greenland. USA seemingly gives priority to a number of other places e.g. Venezuela and Iran. What is known is that some Russian fishing boats do have a supplementary military purpose and in that context a landing agreement with Faroe Islands have been much discussed.

 

Economy and minerals

The interest from Trump to earn money for himself and supporters is know, have been implied and speculated on.

Oil of qualities like is known in Canada and the North Sea is detected in the areas of Baffin Strait and Northeast Greenland both places very difficult to drill and transport from the last is also extremely difficult. Even if quantities should be very big oilprices should be seen going upwards for companies interested to invest.

Minerals of interest are found around but normally in quantites and places to make them out interest for exploitation. Cryolite was succesfully exploited for more than a century until 1987 and served the US alluminium production for airplanes during II. WW. Since the Inuit relation to nature is important, environmental restrictions on mining is presently much sharper than Trump and his investors do like. But to my best knowledge no imidiate findings except the mentioned project on rare earthmetals and uranium (not high concentration) ar e ready for financing. And by the way

rare earthmetals are not rare about 2000 findings are known. The bottleneck is a combination of separation of the fractions and the way to industri.

The economy of Greenland have for the last decades been based on hunting and fishing (90% of own income) and 4 billion D.Kr. annually to pay for the areas not “taken home” by the Selfgovernment. Over the last few years – especially after the opening of a due to the weather not very reliable international airport in Nuuk – tourism have grown.

So if the Trump-gang should profit on (robbery of minerals etc) “getting” Greenland first the 4 billion annually and probably less Danish payment for military activity in the area (Russian threats in and around proper Denmark are much more immidiate) should be covered.

 

Climate and science

Rise of temperatures are 2-4 times quicker in the arctic region and since melting of the Greenlandic icecap is important for the rise of global sealevel many scientist do have their activity here. This includes 200 american scientist that have made Statement from U.S. Scientists in Solidarity with Greenland – Google Docs even if they risk the anger from Trump, who certainly do not like climate science. 

Our reactions

Both in the major Danish cities and a number of Greenlandic there have been major demonstrations against what is seen as US threats. A number of Greenlanders have shown fear and problems to sleep. An already big aversion against Trump have grown and is seen eg. in campains to boycot US goods fore instance an app. UdenUSA – Find alternativer til amerikanske produkter www.udenUSA.dk have ben downloaded more than 400.000 times. The problem with such boycot may be that it may not distinguish between US friends and enimies of the Trump-regime.