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Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, tour the US military's Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on March 28, 2025.
The price is right: Greenland edition
It’s just business, baby: The Danes send around $600 million per year to Greenland, and an unnamed official told the Washington Post that the United States is prepared to spend “a lot higher than that” to lure Greenland into America’s orbit. While the US has not shared exactly how much they are prepared to spend, JD Vance recentlyreiterated the claim that Copenhagenhad not “devoted the resources necessary … to keep the people of Greenland safe.”
But that doesn’t explain the combative approach when a US president could simply seek a bilateral meeting with Denmark to discuss opportunities to expand America’s presence in the Arctic. By forcing his territorial interests on Greenland, Donald Trump risks isolating America’s closest partners. Danish PM Mette Frederiksen in Nuuk on Wednesday told reporters, “The US shall not take over Greenland. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
What does this have to do with Russia and China? Trump and Vance have claimed that acquiring Greenland will protect the island from Russian and Chinese encroachment. But special envoy Steve WitkofftoldTucker Carlson that the US and Russia are “thinking about how to integrate” their Arctic energy policies and “share sea lanes” to send gas into Europe together, suggesting that American ownership of Greenland could foster better cooperation with Russia.
Is there art to this deal? A mix of financial incentives and political ideology is likely behind Trump’s interest in Greenland. Trump has long touted Andrew Jackson as an inspiration and mentioned “manifest destiny” in this year’s inaugural address, so his wandering eyes are to be expected. But here’s a hot take from Ian Bremmer: Maybe Trump and his team “don’t have any reason” for the proposed land grab and all of this “will eventually blow over.”Protesters take part in a demonstration march ending in front of the US consulate, under the slogan, “Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people,” in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 15, 2025.
Vances pare back Greenland trip amid threat of protests
US Second Lady Usha Vance canceled plans to attend Greenland’s biggest dog-sledding race and visit historical sites after officials in Nuuk and Copenhagen balked at an uninvited trip from an official delegation as President Donald Trump pressures Denmark to cede its autonomous Arctic territory to Washington.
Instead, Vice President JD Vance is set to join his wife on Friday at a remote US military base on the Arctic island to “check out what’s going on with the security there of Greenland.”
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussensaid the US cars shipped as part of an enhanced security detail were being sent home. Danish police ordered extra personnel to Greenland ahead of expected protests against the American delegation.
“It’s very positive that the Americans have canceled their visit among Greenlandic society,” Rasmussen said. “They will only visit their own base … we have nothing against that.”
Still, Rasmus Jarlov, the Danish lawmaker from the conservative opposition party who chairs the parliament’s defense committee, called for the “immediate” shuttering of Washington’s diplomatic mission in the Greenlandic capital. “The American consulate in Nuuk must be closed as soon as possible,” hesaid on X. “No other country would accept people who have openly declared that they are there to annex part of the country.”
An opening for the Danish right? Denmark is set to hold nationwide local elections in November, and a general election in October 2026, where conservatives hope to oust the ruling center-left Social Democrats by pitching themselves to voters as tougher defenders against US aggression.
Greenland’s center-right election victors, meanwhile, are negotiating a ruling coalition for the next government. The only party so far booted from the talks? The populist Naleraq party – considered the most pro-American. The Vances’ visit is unlikely to upend the discussions, particularly as the likelihood of major protests recedes.
A man walks as a Danish flag flutters next to Hans Egede Statue ahead of a March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 9, 2025.
Snubbing Trump, Greenland votes to stick closer to Denmark – for now
Greenland’s center-right parties trounced the ruling left-wing coalition in Tuesday’s election. In a blow to US President Donald Trump’s plans to annex the Arctic territory, a once-marginal party that favors a slow separation from Denmark is set to lead the next government.
The pro-business Demokraatit party – whose platform calls for maximizing “personal freedom” and ensuring that the public sectors “never stand in the way of” private enterprise – gained seven seats in Greenland’s Inatsisartut, seizing roughly one-third of the 31-seat parliament.
Recent polling shows that 85% of Greenlanders oppose joining the US and only 56% back independence. At the polls, this translated to a tripling of support for a party focused on improving the current self-governing arrangement before cutting off the territory’s access to Danish funding.
The centrist Naleraq doubled its share of the single-chamber legislature to eight seats, vaulting the party into second place.
The ruling left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit and its center-left coalition party, the Siumut party, fell to third and fourth place, respectively, despite seemingly popular calls to hold an independence referendum after the March 11 election.
Where the top two victors differ: Virtually every party in Greenland supports independence – at some point. The Demokraatit party, which is set to lead a governing coalition, favors gradual separation from Denmark, on whose cash handouts the world’s largest island is dependent for most of its budget.
The party’s leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, rebuked US President Donald Trump’s efforts to annex Greenland as “a threat to our political independence.”
But Naleraq, the No. 2 party, supports a fast path to independence and advocates stronger ties with the US.
What’s next: The pathway to independence depends on which party Demokraatit invites to form a governing coalition. A University of Greenland expert told Bloomberg the most likely coalition partners would be the leftist IA or possibly the pro-Denmark Atassut party, which came in fifth.
Election campaign posters are pictured on a street ahead of a March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 9, 2025.
Greenlanders to vote in historic election
Greenlanders are heading to the polls on Tuesday.
Home to about 60,000 mostly Inuit-descended Greenlanders, the world’s largest island is a semi-autonomous region of Denmark. US President Donald Trump has recently amped up rhetoric about taking over Greenland, even telling Congress he would “get” the Arctic territory “one way or the other.”
Who’s in the race? The ruling faction in Greenland’s single-chamber Inatsisartut is the Inuit Ataqatigiit, a left-wing party that supports independence but opposes mining projects as a means of becoming less economically reliant on Denmark.
The IA is in a coalition with the center-left Siumut, which historically opposed independence. In a shift last month, the leader of Siumut – seen as more open to mining – pledged to hold an independence referendum.
The largest opposition party is the centrist pro-independence Naleraq.
While there’s been scant public polling showing where each party stands, 56% of Greenlanders backed independence in a January survey, while 85% rejected the idea of joining the US.
Does that mean independence? Not automatically, but it’s trending that way.Prime Minister Múte B. Egede has also stepped up calls to break away from Denmark in recent months. A 2009 Danish law gives Greenland the right to unilaterally call an independence referendum.
What result would be good for Trump? No party is interested in joining the US, but Naleraq is more vocally open to closer ties with Washington.
The statue of the missionary Hans Egede towers over the city center of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.
Fire and ice: Denmark and Greenland respond to Trump
Donald Trump’s pledge to take over Greenland “one way or another” in his speech to Congress Tuesday night, prompted starkly different responses from the island itself and from Denmark, which currently controls it.
“Greenland is ours,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egedewrote in a combative Facebook post on Wednesday. “Americans and their leader must understand that. We do not want to be Americans, nor Danes… Our future is determined by us in Greenland.”
But Danish officials focused on the bright side. It was a “positive development,” said Danish Defense Minister Lund Poulsen, that Trump’s speech acknowledged Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
“We strongly support your right to determine your own future,” Trump said, “and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.”
What Greenlanders want: Recent polls show a majority favor independence, while 85% oppose joining America. But opinion is split on whether Trump’s interest is a “threat” or an “opportunity” for the sprawling, resource-rich Arctic island.
All of this hangs over Greenland’s upcoming election, set for March 11. All parties support independence but differ on how to achieve it. The new government will likely call a referendum on this issue, amid growing pressure from Washington.
In advance of the election, Greenland’s lawmakers have tightened restrictions on campaign contributions and property purchases by foreigners.
Read more: Why does Trump want Greenland anyway? Here are three reasons.Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launcher takes part in the Victory Day military parade general rehearsal on the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on May 5, 2024.
Hard Numbers: New records in global defense spending and journalist deaths, Car attack strikes Munich, Danes joke about buying California, Japan may u-turn on nuclear energy
2,460,000,000,000: In 2024, global defense spending rose to a new height of $2.46 trillion, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. Worth noting: The Kremlin outpaced all other European countries combined. Russia’s military expenditure equated $461.6 billion in purchase parity terms, eclipsing Europe’s $457 billion.
124: 2024 was the deadliest year for journalists on record since the Committee to Protect Journalists started tracking more than 30 years ago. At least 124 media workers were killed last year — nearly two-thirds of them in Gaza. The next deadliest nations were Sudan and Pakistan, with six deaths each.
20: At least 20 people, including children, were injured in Munich on Thursday when a driver plowed into a trade union demonstration. The driver was detained at the scene, and another man in the car, a Mini Cooper, was reportedly shot by police. The attack puts the German city on alert just a day before it's set to hold the 61st edition of the Munich Security Conference featuring world leaders. Some of those involved were critically injured, officials said.
200,000: A deeply unserious campaign for Denmark to purchase California from the United States gained significant traction online this week, following President Donald Trump’s repeated calls to purchase Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. So far, more than 200,000 people have signed the virtual petition to “Måke Califørnia Great Ægain.”
14: Nearly 14 years after an earthquake and tsunami led to a triple meltdown at the Fukushima power plant, the Japanese government is considering an about-face on its plans to limit reliance on nuclear power. A draft strategic energy plan from the trade and industry ministry calls for a “maximization” of nuclear power to help reach its emissions and energy security targets. The plan calls for around 20% to stem from nuclear reactors by 2040, 40-50% from renewables, and 30-40% from coal (down from 70% at present).
An explosion is pictured at an exploration site of the company Greenland Anorthosite Mining of an anorthosite deposit close to the Qeqertarsuatsiaat fjord, Greenland, on Sept. 11, 2021.
Greenland’s thwarted rare earths miner hopes for change in March election
Greenlanders are set to go to the polls next month as US President Donald Trump increases pressure on Denmark to transfer sovereignty of the semi-autonomous Arctic island to the United States.
Australia-based Energy Transition Minerals, the mining company that holds the license for controversial rare earths and uranium deposits, is hoping the social-democratic Siumut Party – currently the second-largest contingent in the Greenlandic parliament, known as the Inatsisartut – will oust the ruling left-wing environmentalist Inuit Ataqatigiit Party in the March 11 election. The two parties are currently in a governing coalition together, with IA in the top position, but Siumut has attracted attention by pledging to hold a referendum on independence from Denmark this year.
After taking power in 2021, the IA banned uranium mining, effectively halting exploration of what Energy Transition Minerals bills as potentially the largest deposit of rare earth oxides in the world. Rare earths are a family of 17 metallic minerals needed for the batteries and magnets used for electric cars, power plants, and fighter jets. China dominates the supply chain, controlling roughly 70% of all mining and 90% of refining capacity.
The IA opposed the mining because of the high density of uranium mixed into the ore, which it feared would generate radioactive pollution along the island’s southwest coast, where much of the mostly indigenous population of roughly 57,000 lives.
Now, Energy Transition Minerals is betting Siumut, under whose rule the mining project was originally approved, will win and lift the moratorium to help generate more income for Greenland to achieve economic self-sufficiency and open the door to a long-sought breakaway from the Danish kingdom.
Awkward technicalities: With 7% of the company, Energy Transition’s largest shareholder is China’s Shenghe Resources, but the firm has vowed to supply the West with its metals. Thanks to America’s trade deals with the European Union and Australia, however, arcane Treasury rules may mean the Melbourne-headquartered company’s rare earths qualify for lucrative US tax credits. With the stock price trading at a fraction of a penny per share, however, Wall Street has doubts about the mining firm’s future.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attends a brief press conference with the German Chancellor in Berlin, Germany, January 28, 2025.
A Greenland temperature check (still cold, but the tea is hot)
Meanwhile, a Greenland independence movement is gaining momentum. Prime Minister Múte Egede recentlytold reporters, “We don’t want to be Danes. We don’t want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlanders.”
But can Greenland go it alone? Denmarkpays roughly $800 million a year to Greenland – making up half of Greenland’s government revenue. While only 57,000 people live on the island, the population maintains a high standard of living like their Nordic neighbors. An independent Greenland would still need economic and security support thanks to existing and rapidly developing external pressures.
If the United States made an aggressive move for the island, Trump would face more than just retaliation from the Danes and Europeans: Other major players, namely China and Russia, could respond aggressively to protect critical shipping routes.
On Wednesday, Danish MEP Morten Løkkegaardsuggested Greenland rejoin the European Union for “protection” from Trump’s threats. He said, “The situation has changed dramatically” since 1985, when the country officially left the European Communities byreferendum vote. Rejoining the EU would mean more support for economic development and security, as well as geopolitical influence.
Trump’s saber-rattling provides a new opportunity for Greenlanders to rethink their stance on European integration … and, perhaps, a way for Europe to strengthen its influence in the Arctic.