Trump says ‘massive’ oil, gas and mining exploration in Greenland ‘preparing to begin’

President Trump said Wednesday that “massive” oil, gas and mineral exploration is preparing to begin in Greenland.

In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, Mr. Trump said “massive oil, gas and mineral exploration is preparing to begin in our beautiful new Greenland” but did not elaborate.

The president added that “some experts say the amount of oil readily available is far greater than that of almost any land, anywhere in the world.”

Mr. Trump also touted Greenland’s role in the United States’ defense in Europe, saying that “any future attack” on the United States should come through the semi-autonomous island, “where our defense will regularly shoot down drones, missiles or any other form of weapon not yet designed.”

“It gives us time, location and line of sight like nowhere else in the world!” » added Mr. Trump.

The announcement comes more than four weeks after the United States, Greenland and Denmark, which oversees the territory, signed an agreement new security agreement to strengthen the American military and security presence on the island.

This agreement, which gives the United States broad access to the island’s airspace and territory, focuses largely on the use of Greenland for military purposes, but also mentions resource extraction and “mining cooperation” between the two countries, without specifying any details.

The plan allows the United States to expand the existing Pituffik space base, the northernmost U.S. military installation that serves as an early warning system for incoming missiles. The agreement also provides that the United States can establish additional bases at the sites known as Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, approximately 950 miles apart. Each of the three parties can propose more “defense zones” as needed, subject to the approval of the others.

The agreement, which has no expiration date, also prevents non-NATO countries from establishing bases on the island without the parties’ agreement.

Since his first term, Mr. Trump had cited Greenland’s strategic location as one of the reasons for increased U.S. control over the semi-autonomous island, and even suggested buying the island from Denmark or using military force.

A few industry experts believe that Greenland’s mineral resources have been little explored and that until now the cost of extraction has not made economic sense for private companies.