Once a Danish colony, Greenland is now an autonomous province of Denmark. It is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, between Europe and North America, across the Baffin Bay from Canada. Its strategic importance rose during the Cold War, and the US has a large air base there, the Pituffik Space Base, earlier the Thule Air Base. From Greenland, the US can monitor and prevent any missile coming towards it from Russia, China, or even North Korea. Similarly, it can launch missiles and ships towards Asia or Europe more easily from Greenland.

ii) Rich in rare earth minerals

Greenland is a resource-rich island of 836,000 square miles. It has high rare earth mineral content which is used in mobile phones, electric vehicles and other consumer electronics, but also in bombs and other weapons. At present, China is a major supplier of these minerals and has leveraged its domination of the rare earth industry to exert pressure on the US. In 2021, Greenland passed a law banning uranium mining.

iii) Melting of Arctic ice

As global warming melts the Arctic ice creating new waterways in the region, Greenland’s trove of minerals may become more accessible now. All major powers are hence keen to boost their presence, potentially reorienting trade. The US would want to pre-empt a larger Russian or Chinese role in Greenland and its neighbourhood, despite Trump calling the climate crisis “the greatest con job”.

Trump has continued to downplay the importance of Greenland’s natural resources.While speaking to the media, last month, he emphasised: “We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals.” But his former national security adviser Mike Waltz in January 2024 had suggested that Trump’s aim was the natural resources, while speaking to Fox News that the administration’s focus on Greenland was “about critical minerals” and “natural resources.”

2) Is a threat looming on Greenland?

The day after US forces took away Maduro from his home, Trump reiterated the US’s wish to take Greenland “from the standpoint of national security”. White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller reiterated those claims on Monday, further putting the spotlight on the Arctic territory.

“We need Greenland…it’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday despite at first saying he didn’t want to talk about it. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

Meanwhile, just hours after the US military operations in Venezuela, killing at least 40 people, Miller’s wife Katie, a rightwing podcaster,  posted on X a map of Greenland draped in the stars and stripes with the caption: “SOON.”

SOON pic.twitter.com/XU6VmZxph3

— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) January 3, 2026

3) What does any military action mean for NATO?

If the US uses military action to capture Greenland –  Trump has so far refused to rule this possibility out – it could fracture the NATO alliance. Frederiksen Monday said: “If the US chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, everything stops, including NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of World War II.”

On Tuesday, leaders across major European powers expressed support for Denmark and Greenland, insisting that the Arctic security must be upheld collectively with NATO allies, that includes the US.

“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, and Denmark said in a joint statement. “NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up.”