Donald Trump has said large-scale exploration for oil, gas and minerals is preparing to begin in Greenland, claiming the Arctic island contains some of the world’s biggest reserves of easily accessible oil.
In a post on Truth Social, the US president wrote: “Massive Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration is getting ready to begin in our new and beautiful Greenland!”
Mr Trump also said: “The amount of easily available Oil is far greater than that of almost … anywhere in the World,” attributing the claim to experts. He gave no details of possible US involvement in the exploration.
Greenland is a self-governing Danish territory. The announcement comes after Mr Trump reached a security agreement last month with leaders in Denmark and Greenland, following an almost two-year crisis sparked by his refusal to rule out taking control of the island by force.
The agreement expands the role of the US military in Greenland and provides for two new military bases and Mr Trump’s planned “Golden Dome” missile defence system. It also reaffirms Danish sovereignty and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
Mr Trump described the security benefits of the deal for the United States and Europe as “second to none”. He argued that any aerial attack on the US would have to pass over Greenland, allowing American forces to detect and destroy threats.
“Any future attack on the United States will have to come across Greenland, where our defence will routinely knock down drones, missiles, or any other form of weapon not yet even conceived,” he wrote.
He added: “It gives us time, location, and sightline, like nowhere else in the world!”
There was no immediate response to the post from the leaders of Greenland or Denmark.
