New Delhi: President Donald Trump’s renewed determination to acquire Greenland has ignited global tensions, with strategic imperatives driving the US pursuit of the world’s largest island, currently under Danish sovereignty.
Trump views Greenland as vital for American national security, emphasising its proximity to Russia, vast reserves of rare earth minerals like neodymium and dysprosium — essential for electric vehicles, military systems, and renewables — and emerging Arctic shipping routes that could shorten Asia-Europe trade distances amid melting ice.
The US already maintains the Pituffik Space Base there for missile warnings and monitoring Russian and Chinese activities, while the GIUK Gap helps contain Russian naval movements. Acquiring Greenland would reduce reliance on China’s near-monopoly (80-90%) over these “industrial vitamins” and secure future trade lanes.
However, Trump’s hints at military or economic coercion, even purchase, have provoked sharp backlash. Denmark provides annual subsidies of around 600 million dollars but insists Greenland is not for sale. A joint statement from seven European nations, including France, Germany, and Britain, stressed respect for local wishes and international law.
Critics warn that forceful action could trigger NATO’s Article 5, potentially collapsing the alliance, as Trump demands members spend 5% of GDP on defence. This move risks escalating rivalries, handing Russia and China pretexts for territorial claims elsewhere.
As diplomatic tensions intensify, the frozen expanse of the Arctic serves as a symbol of thawing geopolitical fault lines, carrying profound implications for global order.