Politics 4 min read By Callum Montgomery
Greenland Rejects Trump's Claim of 'Massive' Oil and Gas Drilling
Greenland's deputy mining minister says the territory is 'very far away' from any large-scale exploration after President Trump claimed 'massive' drilling was set to begin.
Greenland has pushed back firmly against US President Donald Trump's claim that «massive» oil, gas and mineral exploration is about to begin on the island, with a senior official saying the territory remains a long way from any such activity.
«We are very far away from 'massive' exploration,» Greenland's deputy mining minister, Jørgen Hammeken-Holm, told CNN, in a direct rebuttal of the president's remarks.
Trump said early on Wednesday that large-scale extraction was set to start in «our new and beautiful Greenland», writing on his Truth Social platform. He did not specify which projects or companies he was referring to, and no new exploration licences or commercial agreements have been announced.
The comments follow a campaign event in Wasilla, Alaska, where the president appeared on behalf of Republican Senator Dan Sullivan ahead of next month's midterm elections. With energy prices rising and voters citing cost-of-living pressures, the Greenland remarks were widely interpreted as an appeal to concerns about fuel costs and domestic energy production.
Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, not part of the United States. Its harsh climate, limited infrastructure and remote geography have defeated every previous attempt to develop its resources. No oil, gas or rare earth project has ever moved beyond the exploratory stage, despite decades of interest from international companies.
The island does hold significant deposits of rare earth minerals used in computers, smartphones, batteries and renewable energy technology. China currently dominates global supply of these critical minerals, and Washington has been seeking to reduce that dependence. The US Geological Survey has also identified potentially large offshore oil and natural gas reserves.
But extracting them is exceptionally difficult. The minerals are locked inside hard rock, while the offshore deposits lie beneath Arctic ice. Analysts have long warned that the costs and logistical challenges are prohibitive, particularly at current prices.
Trump's post also emphasised Greenland's strategic position, describing the island as «second to none» for the defence of both the United States and Europe. «Any future attack on the United States will have to come across Greenland,» he wrote, adding that the territory offers «time, location, and sightline, like nowhere else in the World».
The US military presence in Greenland has shrunk dramatically since 1945, when thousands of troops were stationed across 17 bases and installations. Today roughly 200 personnel operate the remote Pituffik Space Base in the northwest, supporting missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance for the US and NATO.
Last month Trump signed an agreement with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland aimed at strengthening security in the Arctic and North Atlantic. The deal followed months of tension with NATO allies over his repeated demands that the US take control of the territory. It does not grant Washington any special exploration rights, but it does place limits on investment by non-NATO countries in strategic sectors and paves the way for additional US bases.
The agreement would remain in force if Greenland eventually chooses independence. Trump has expressed a desire to acquire the island since 2019 and during his second term threatened to seize it from Denmark.
Naaja H. Nathanielsen, who represents Greenland in the Danish parliament, told Danish broadcaster TV2 that she believed Trump's post was intended to attract attention. She said she attached no significance to his description of the island as «our Greenland».
Representatives of Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Greenland's prime minister and the island's mining ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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