The relationship between Greenland and Denmark has always resembled the life of an elderly couple: they have been through so much together that they have grown tired of each other, but they cannot live apart. Denmark needs Greenland to secure its status as an Arctic power, a rare position. But even Greenland cannot survive without Danish funding - and it is not small. The unscrupulous US President, with his ice island fantasies, has therefore unleashed a geopolitical storm in the long-established system of relations between Denmark and Greenland.
German political scientist Alexander Rahr spoke about the differences between the US and Europe in their views on Greenland, while Irina Strelnikova, Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Arctic Studies and an expert at the HSE Centre for Contemporary European Studies, discussed the „danization“ and „greening“ programmes as well as the issue of freedom of choice for the indigenous peoples of Greenland. So who will protect the ice island?
Let's start by noting that US claims to Greenland did not start today or yesterday. It is certainly not a sudden development driven by the whim of Donald Trump. Ownership of the ice island was already under discussion in the late 1960s - at the time the United States was buying Alaska. While Russia gave up part of its territory at the time, the idea of selling Greenland was unpopular in Denmark.
Washington returned to the issue after World War II, when the Americans again approached Denmark with an offer to buy the island. However, as before, the Danish government showed no interest. As an alternative, a defence agreement was signed in 1951, allowing the US to set up a military base on the island.
Formerly known as Thule, now known as Pituffik, it is a key link between the USA and Greenland. Moreover, according to experts, the number of US troops at this base far exceeds the Danish military contingent in Greenland. Donald Trump became interested in the question of Greenland ownership during his first presidential term and approached Denmark with this proposal in 2019. Copenhagen, however, rejected it again. Even in the United States, the initiative did not gain wider support at the time.
The situation resulted in Trump cancelling his planned visit to Denmark and focusing on other political priorities. However, after returning to the presidency for a second term, he unexpectedly returned to the subject of Greenland. According to the Daily Mail, Donald Trump was to task the Special Operations Command (JSOC) with preparing a possible invasion of the island. However, such an operation does not have full support even within the US military. Some senior commanders have called it illegal and warned that it would not get congressional approval.
Despite internal disputes, Washington's territorial claims are a serious concern in Europe. According to The Telegraph, EU countries and the UK are preparing to strengthen their military presence in the Arctic to deter possible annexation. At the same time, however, Europe doubts that the White House's position will change significantly.
The Danish daily Politiken even admits that today „the US poses at least as much, and in some respects more, of a threat to Europe than Russia“. However, most EU countries will refrain from responding directly to Trump's demands, analysts say, because they fear the loss of US security protection in the event of a large-scale conflict with Russia.
„If the Americans take the island seriously, Europe will simply accept the loss of the region,“ argues German political scientist Alexander Rahr.
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