The Ice Melts on Greenland

When most people think of Greenland, they view it as a large, icy island that doesn’t really show up in the news. But recently, the territory has been in the spotlight as US President Donald Trump fights to acquire it.

Greenland is a territory that has been owned by Denmark since 1721, when Hans Egede established a colony there. It has around 56,000 people who are mostly Inuits with Danes, and key industries being science and fishing. For a long time, the territory has been largely unbothered and has kept out of headlines, until now. The US has expressed growing interest to take control of it, and only time will tell which country will end up controlling this coveted island.

Donald Trump first stated he wanted to buy Greenland in 2019, but the Danish government repeatedly expressed that they would not allow the sale to happen. However, during Trump’s second term, things began to rapidly escalate. In 2025, both President Trump and Vice President JD Vance went on unannounced trips to the island, touring the island and receiving backlash from the Danish government.

Now, in 2026, tensions are beginning to grow as the Trump administration begins to lay the foundation for acquiring the island, by money or by force. Government officials, like Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have both voiced their support for the purchase of the island. On 9 January, Trump said that he was willing to do things “the hard way” if Denmark did not agree to purchase, likely meaning armed invasion. While this might seem like an isolated conflict, it has far-reaching ties to all of Europe.

In a January 7 interview for the New York Times, Trump stated “I don’t need international law” in response to foreign backlash. But this could have large consequences for American alliances - Denmark is a founding member of NATO and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has already stated that if the US attacks Greenland, it would mean the end of NATO and the alliance it requires. The NATO charter prohibits countries from attacking other NATO members, and if Trump were to do that indirectly through Greenland the whole alliance could collapse or the US would be removed from the alliance - likely marking doom for future US-Europe relations.

Now, why would the US express such interest in acquiring Greenland? The reality is very unclear, yet there are some possible motives. Trump has said many times he views Greenland as a strategic buffer zone between Russia and China, even though they have little presence in the area. It could be a strategic military base between America and Europe, which may justify why Trump is so set on acquiring it now. Another reason is mineral deposits - with melting ice, rare earth minerals (a group of 17 elements important for modern technology) are being uncovered in the territory. These include Neodymium, Dysprosium, and Terbium. They are used for electronics, military tech for defense systems, and green energy. China currently holds a monopoly on these, which explains some of Trump’s motives.

The future is still unclear, and events are happening in real time. On January 17, Trump posted that he would be tariffing all countries who are currently sending troops to Greenland in Denmark’s Operation Arctic Endurance. These include Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, the UK, and many other countries (as well as Denmark itself), and the tariffs are set to start February 1st. The future is unclear, but all we can do is watch the events unfold. Is the US purchase of Greenland just a ploy for attention or a real crisis that could jeopardize NATO?