According to Reuters, on October 14th local time, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media that the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland is set to undertake 'large-scale' oil, gas, and mineral exploration.
Trump did not disclose the details of the exploration plan. He only mentioned that experts say Greenland has "a large amount of easily exploitable oil."
Regarding Greenland's security issues, he stated: "From the perspective of the United States and Europe, Greenland has unparalleled advantages. Any future attacks on the United States must first pass through Greenland, and our defense capabilities are capable of shooting down drones, missiles, or any other weapons that may yet be invented."
Last month, the autonomous governments of the United States, Denmark, and Greenland signed an agreement that allowed the United States to expand its military presence in Greenland and restricted foreign investment in the island.
The BBC states that Greenland has abundant resources such as rare earths, oil, and natural gas, but developing these resources is not easy. Steven Ramy, a professor of international relations at the University of Southern California in the United States, says that for a long time, Greenland's resource extraction has faced a series of challenges, including high costs, harsh climate conditions, lack of infrastructure, and labor shortages.
Denmark International Studies Institute's senior researcher Mikkel Rung Olsen also pointed out that Greenland has always tried to attract foreign investment through its natural resources, but these efforts have not been very successful. "Greenland does indeed possess a variety of mineral resources, however, extracting these resources requires significant amounts of capital."
