Greenland denies Trump drilling claim; Denmark says exploration must be lawful

September accord granted US defense access, not resource preference, Denmark says

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote in a social-media post early Wednesday that “massive” oil, gas and mineral drilling and exploration was about to begin in “our new and beautiful” Greenland. Greenland’s government denied the claim later in the day, and Denmark said that if the United States wants to explore the island’s resource, it must do so legally.

Denmark’s foreign ministry said the September security agreement between the United States, Denmark and Greenland grants Washington defense-related powers in Greenland, not business preference.

“The agreement does not grant investors from the United States any preferential treatment compared with investors from other NATO countries, EU countries and NATO partners when it comes to access to natural resources in Greenland,” the ministry said, according to CNN.

Jørgen Hammeken-Holm, Greenland’s deputy mining minister, told CNN that there are “activities” by U.S. companies on the island, but they are “very far away” from massive exploration.

“There are many smaller explorations under way but these could take years to become operational,” he said. Most of Greenland’s oil, mineral and gas deposits are above the Arctic Circle, and most of the island is covered in a thick ice sheet.

Trump, in his post, did not mention specifics.

“There are Experts that are saying that the amount of easily available Oil is far greater than that of almost any land, anywhere in the World,” he wrote.

The September agreement mentions “minerals cooperation” and “cooperation on economic development and business promotion,” but oil and gas are not mentioned in the document, nor is the shape that cooperation could take.

The agreement maintains Denmark’s sovereignty over the island and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination. Trump has separately claimed it gives the United States “permanent control” over Greenland’s security, but the document does not assert permanent control. It does allow the United States broad access to the island’s airspace and territory and permits the U.S. to develop several new military bases on Greenland and expand another.

In the Wednesday post, Trump tied Greenland’s location to U.S. missile and drone defense.

“Any future attack on the United States will have to come across Greenland, where our Defense will routinely knock down drones, missiles or any other form of weapon not yet conceived,” he wrote. “It gives us time, location and sightline, like nowhere else in the World!”

Since Trump’s second term began, he has repeatedly threatened to take control of the island and its natural resources, at one point refusing to rule out doing so by force.