After oil in Venezuela, Trump eyes minerals and strategic positions in Greenland

Trump is discussing options including military action to take control of Greenland, the White House said, even as Denmark warned of end to NATO alliance.

The start to 2026 has been extraordinary in terms of geopolitics as US conducted air raids on Venezuela and returned to New York after capturing its President Nicolas Maduro late last week. And as the world is making sense of this development, US President Donald Trump is discussing options including military action to take control of Greenland, the White House said Tuesday, further escalating tensions that Denmark warns could destroy the NATO alliance.

File photo of US President Donald Trump. (AP)

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday said that "acquiring Greenland is a national security priority" for Trump to deter US adversaries like Russia and China.

"The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the commander in chief's disposal," Leavitt was quoted as saying by AFP.

While the US maintained that Maduro was captured over his alleged role in narco-terrorism and cases of corruption, analysts, Trump's critics and overall chatter on social media points at oil reserves in Venezuela that can be of interest for the US.

Similar assumptions are being made about Greenland which is a mineral-rich, self-governing Danish territory, though Denmark has warned that any American “takeover” of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance.

However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly told lawmakers that Trump's preferred option is to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding the threats did not signal an imminent invasion, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Abundance of mineral resources

Rare-earth material found in Greenland are a key component of mobile phones, computers, batteries and other hi-tech gadgets. This could be of interest to the SU and other Western nations as they look to reduce China’s dominance on the critical minerals supply chain.

Despite being rich in minerals, the development of Greenland’s resources has been challenging owing to extreme climate and strict environmental controls that adds to the hurdles for potential investors.

Greenland's strategic position

Greenland is inhabited by around 56,000 people most of whom are Inuit and have been largely ignored by the world. Eighty percent of the island lies above the Arctic Circle and its position is considered crucial in Arctic security.

Greenland is situated off the northeastern coast of Canada and as such has been crucial to the defense of North America since World War II, when the U.S. occupied Greenland to ensure it didn’t fall into the hands of Nazi Germany and to protect crucial North Atlantic shipping lanes, according to AP.

After the Cold War, the Arctic was largely an area of international cooperation. However, as climate change is thinning the Arctic ice, it has opened possibility of creating a northwest passage for international trade and the subsequent competition with Russia, China and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources.

Donald Trump on Greenland

Trump has repeatedly called for US control on Greenland during his presidential transition and the early months of his second term.

On Sunday, he told reporters, “let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days” amid fears that the US was planning an intervention in Greenland in the near future.

The US President also mocked Denmark’s efforts at boosting Greenland’s national security, saying the Danes have added “one more dog sled” to the Arctic territory’s arsenal.

“It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump had told reporters Sunday as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida.

With inputs from agencies