On 14 October Trump said on Truth Social that massive oil, gas and mineral exploration was getting ready to begin in Greenland, without naming companies, sites or a start date.
The Danish Foreign Ministry said the 22 September agreement gives US investors no special access to Greenland's raw materials, and any US exploration must follow Greenland's law.
Jørgen Hammeken-Holm, a senior official in Greenland's economy ministry, told CNN that US companies are active but large-scale exploration is far off.
Greenland is reviewing whether Greenland Energy can use permits that predate the 2021 uranium and oil ban, and the company planned to drill for oil in 2027 without a permit of its own.
US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday, 14 October, that exploration of oil, gas and minerals in Greenland was about to start, and he claimed experts believe the island holds some of the world's largest easily accessible oil reserves without offering evidence. He gave no details on which companies would take part, where the work would happen or when it would begin. In the same post he argued that any future attack on the United States would have to pass over Greenland, which he said could help stop missiles and drones. He wrote:
“Massive Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration is getting ready to begin”
The Danish Foreign Ministry replied the same day in a written answer to the public broadcaster TV2. It said any US exploration of Greenland's subsoil would have to take place within the island's relevant legislation, and that the September agreement gives American investors no special rights over the island's raw materials, so they hold no preferential standing against investors from other NATO members, EU countries and NATO partners.
Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen signed the agreement on 22 September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. It ended months of friction, at least provisionally, that began when Trump threatened to take control of the island, at one point by force and citing national security. The text lets the US upgrade and widen its activity at Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland, opens the way for two new military bases and the Golden Dome missile defence system, and keeps Danish sovereignty while recognising Greenlanders' right to self-determination. According to the text published by the White House, oil and gas are not explicitly mentioned, although it refers to cooperation on minerals and general economic development. The agreement contains no mining or drilling rights, and Denmark had at one point prepared for a possible military confrontation over the island.
Greenland's government rejects the picture of imminent large-scale exploration. Jørgen Hammeken-Holm, a senior official in Greenland's economy ministry, told CNN that US companies are active on the island but that large-scale exploration is still far off. Many smaller projects are under way, and it could take years before they become operational. Greenland banned uranium mining and all new oil exploration in 2021, and its government is reviewing whether the Texas company Greenland Energy can use permits issued before that ban. In August the company outlined plans to drill for oil in 2027 in an east-coast basin that has never been tested, although it does not hold a permit of its own. Many deposits lie in remote areas north of the Arctic Circle, where the ice can reach about 1.6 kilometres in thickness, and roughly 80% of the island is covered by ice.
Danish security policy adviser Jacob Kaarsbo said Trump's comments could indicate that his desire to control Greenland remains unchanged.
“It is extremely dangerous to view this agreement between the Trump administration and Denmark as something that has altered Trump's intentions”
Mikkel Olesen, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said details on mining and exploration rights remain unclear and urged caution with information coming mainly from the US side. Roughly three weeks before the midterm congressional elections, Trump and his Republicans face pressure over fuel prices that rose after his war with Iran, and he appears keen to address voter concerns about energy costs. Trump's post gave no start date, and Greenland's officials said large-scale work could take years.
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Copenhagen says US investors get no special access to Greenland's raw materials after Trump announced imminent large-scale oil, gas and mineral exploration. Greenland's government says such work is still far off, with smaller projects possibly taking years to become operational.
AI text based on reports by Spiegel Online, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera Online and other publishers. Changed .