US President Donald Trump renewed interest in acquiring Greenland, citing national-security reasons, even though the US already operates under a broad Denmark–US defence agreement. Denmark has boosted Arctic security funding—€1.2 billion in 2025—and invested in vessels, radar, drones and a planned subsea cable. China and Russia show growing Arctic activity, but neither has a significant military or economic footprint on Greenland, and major Chinese projects there have been blocked or stalled. Greenlandic leaders insist the island is not for sale and the current government has no immediate plans for independence; most Greenlanders oppose joining the US.
Why Greenland Matters: Trump’s Proposal, Arctic Security, and the Independence Debate
The US already has extensive access to the Arctic island (Odd ANDERSEN)(Odd ANDERSEN/AFP/AFP)
US President Donald Trump renewed proposals to acquire Greenland, Denmark's autonomous Arctic territory, citing national-security concerns. His comments reignited debate about why the United States would seek greater control over an island where it already enjoys extensive military access under a long-standing defence pact with Denmark.
US Military Presence
During World War II, occupied Denmark authorised the United States to build and operate military installations on Greenland to help secure the North American continent. By the end of the war the US operated 15 sites on the island; today only one remains in regular use: the Pituffik air base on Greenland's northwest coast, which, according to reports in the article, US Vice President JD Vance visited in March.
Greenland lies along some of the shortest potential missile trajectories between Russia and the United States, making it strategically important to North American missile defence and Arctic operations. Marc Jacobsen, an Arctic expert at the Royal Danish Defence College, told AFP that Greenland, home to roughly 57,000 people, "is an important part of the US national security protection." He added that any expansion of US military activity on Greenland would generally be permitted under the existing defence arrangement.
Article 3 of the 1951 Denmark–US defence agreement, revised in 2004, states: "The Government of the United States will consult with and inform the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark, including the Home Rule Government of Greenland, prior to the implementation of any significant changes to United States military operations or facilities in Greenland."
Danish Investments in Security
President Trump criticised Denmark for what he described as insufficient protection of Greenland. Copenhagen has since increased investments in Arctic security. In 2025 Denmark allocated €1.2 billion to regional security initiatives, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.
While images of the Sirius Patrol on dog teams have drawn attention, Danish efforts extend well beyond dogsleds. The Sirius unit—12 soldiers and about 70 dogs—patrols a vast, sparsely populated northeastern sector roughly 972,000 km2 in size. Denmark has also invested in five new Arctic patrol vessels, an aerial radar-warning system, drones, maritime patrol aircraft, and plans for a subsea telecommunications cable linking Greenland and Denmark. Two cables already connect the island to Iceland and Canada.
Chinese And Russian Activity
Denmark's military intelligence recently concluded that Russia, China and the United States are all seeking a larger role in the Arctic as climate change opens shipping lanes and exposes mineral resources. Greenland holds potential rare-earth deposits that could attract international interest.
In August 2025, two Chinese research vessels were reported operating in the high Arctic about 1,000 km north of Greenland. Nevertheless, experts emphasise that neither China nor Russia maintains a significant naval presence along Greenland's coast, and China’s direct economic footprint on the island remains limited. The semi-public Chinese company Shenghe Resources is a majority investor in Australian miner Energy Transition Minerals, which holds rights to a rare-earth project in southern Greenland that is currently halted. Reports also indicate that China was effectively blocked from participating in some Greenland airport upgrades after Denmark and the United States offered financing on the condition that Chinese contractors were not selected.
Road To Independence
Greenlandic and Danish leaders have repeatedly stressed that Greenland is not for sale and that any constitutional change must be decided by Greenlanders themselves. The current governing coalition has no immediate plans to pursue independence from Denmark.
The pro-independence Naleraq party, which advocates rapid sovereignty and placed second in recent elections, is not part of the government. Some Naleraq members have suggested negotiating directly with the United States on certain matters, but the party’s official stance is: "Naleraq does not want Greenlanders to become American. Just as we do not want to be Danish." A poll published in Danish and Greenlandic media found that about 85% of Greenlanders opposed the idea of joining the United States.
Bottom line: Greenland occupies an outsized strategic and symbolic role in Arctic geopolitics. While the US already has extensive legal access under the Denmark–US agreement, renewed attention from Washington has highlighted questions about security, natural resources and the pace and direction of Greenland’s political future.
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