US Discusses Ways To Acquire Greenland; Military Use On Table

Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times,

President Donald Trump is seeking to acquire Greenland as a U.S. national security priority necessary to deter adversaries in the region and may consider military action, the White House said on Tuesday.

“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to The Epoch Times on Tuesday.

“The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”

The foreign ministers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden in a joint statement issued on Monday said that they are dedicated to Arctic security and that decisions in regard to Denmark and its autonomous territory of Greenland belong to the two of them.

They expressed support for NATO’s growing vigilance in the area and noted increases in Arctic security investments, with readiness to discuss further enhancements with the United States and other allies.

The statement invoked core principles of the U.N. Charter and international law, such as border inviolability. It noted Denmark’s NATO founding membership and its historic collaboration with the United States on Arctic security, citing the 1951 Defense Agreement.

“We collectively reiterate that matters concerning Denmark and Greenland are for Denmark and Greenland to decide alone,” the ministers concluded.

This position appears to address recent U.S. statements regarding Greenland, the world’s largest island with a population of about 57,000.

Since at least 2019, Trump has publicly emphasized Greenland’s importance to American national security, while more recently he appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland in December.

“Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World,” Trump said in a Dec. 21 Truth Social post.

Landry, whose term as governor runs through 2028, acknowledged his appointment on X. “It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!”

Trump has tied U.S. interest in Greenland to warding off foreign threats.

“We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals. … If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” he told media on Dec. 22, 2025.

“We need it for national security. We have to have it.”

In response to Wall Street Journal reporting that Secretary Rubio told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing, that Trump seeks to buy Greenland rather than invade it, a State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the United States wants to build lasting commercial relationships that benefit Americans and the people of Greenland.

Mr. Rubio did not go into detail on what he meant by buying Greenland.

“Our common adversaries have been increasingly active in the Arctic. That is a concern that the United States, the Kingdom of Denmark, and NATO Allies share,” the said in the statement on Tuesday.

“President Trump reiterated the importance of Greenland to U.S. defense and underscored his commitment to the relationship by designating Governor Landry as Special Envoy to Greenland.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was also asked by a reporter if Rubio had said in the meeting that Trump “preferred to buy Greenland” to which Johnson replied: “I don’t remember that statement—he might have said it in jest.”

Greenland’s location has made it crucial to the defense of North America since World War II. The land mass sits off the northeastern coast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its territory lying within the Arctic Circle. It also shares a short land border with Canada on Hans Island.

The U.S. Department of Defense operates the remote Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) in northwestern Greenland. Built following a 1951 defense agreement between Denmark and the United States, it supports missile warning, missile defense, and space surveillance operations for both the United States and NATO.

On Denmark’s mainland, the co-operation between Copenhagen and Washington has been long-standing. The Danes buy American F-35 fighter jets and last year, Denmark’s Parliament voted in favor of a bill to allow U.S. military bases on Danish soil. The legislation builds on a 2023 military agreement, made with the Biden administration, where U.S. troops had broad access to air bases in Denmark. Opponents say that last year’s vote ceded Danish sovereignty to Washington.

The United States has expanded ties with Greenland to counteract Russian and Chinese activities, including Beijing’s “Polar Silk Road” initiative.

“There’s not a huge daylight between the two administrations in terms of the assessment that there’s a risk in the region,” U.S. foreign policy expert Michael Walsh said about continuity between the Trump and Biden administrations on the Greenland issue.

Walsh said: “It stirs discussion and debate. And you’re seeing that right now.”

Gordon Chang, an analyst on China, said Greenland has taken center stage because the Arctic has become important.

“And China and Russia are seeking to control the Arctic.”

Greenland’s officials have rebuffed United States acquisition desires with the autonomous territory’s leader, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, posting on Facebook on Dec. 22, 2025: “We have woken up again to a new announcement from the U.S. president. This may sound big, but it does not change anything for us. We decide our own future.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called the envoy appointment “completely unacceptable” and intended to summon the U.S. ambassador.

Greenland has alternatively expressed interest in U.S. economic partnerships, particularly in mining.

Greenland had been a colony of Denmark for hundreds of years, becoming an integral part of the Danish state in 1953—granting Greenlanders full Danish citizenship. The U.S. government recognized Copenhagen’s right to the whole of Greenland at the beginning of the 20th century, when it was under direct Danish rule.

Greenland became self-governing in 2009, with legislation recognizing its right to independence under international law. While the independence option was favored by a majority (56 percent) of Greenlanders according to a 2025 poll, this appears unlikely with island’s economy heavily dependent upon Danish subsidies.

Greenland has untapped resources, including nearly 90 billion barrels of oil, 1,669 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and trillions of dollars worth of minerals, including rare earth elements needed for technology and defense.