By Alberto Giuliani.

Amid ongoing disagreements with President Zelensky over approaches to peace in Ukraine, and efforts to promote the contentious “Trump Gaza” video [10], the U.S. President used his March 5th address to Congress — his first since re-election — to revive interest in expanding U.S. influence toward Greenland, the Danish autonomous territory.

Located in the far north of the Atlantic Ocean, near Canada and about 320 km from Iceland [9] — the closest European country — Greenland is geographically part of America, but politically tied to Europe. This island enjoys a high degree of autonomy, but still depends on the Kingdom of Denmark, which retains control over certain key areas, such as foreign policy and defense, while also supporting its economy [3].

However, this delicate relationship existing since 1953 Greenland’s status as an overseas Danish territory was granted [12], now seems to be fracturing. The strain comes from mounting great-power ambitions and a colonial legacy that no longer aligns with Greenlanders’ growing pro-independence sentiment.

Actually, the legislative elections of March 11th marked the return to power of the centre-right, the “Demokraatit Party”, a social liberal party that supports gradual independence from Copenhagen, albeit cautiously. The willingness to resist external pressure is, however, a shared concern across the political spectrum. It allowed them to overcome internal divergences and reach an agreement for an “anti-US” government coalition that would bring together four of the five parties in Parliament (only the most ardently pro-independent party, Naleraq, which ranked second in the elections at the beginning of the month, withdrew from the talks) [4;11].

This outcome is of extreme importance, precisely because it was obtained in days of heightened diplomatic tensions and provocations by the United States. On one hand, President Trump’s statements, where he did not rule out using force to annex the island, thus threatening to invade the territory of a NATO member. On the other, Vice-President JD Vance who — on the occasion of his highly protested visit to the Pituffik US military base — harshly criticized Denmark’s inaction in Greenland [5].

Furthermore in May 2025, Greenland took over the presidency of the Arctic Council, asserting its autonomy amid rising geopolitical tensions. Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt declared, “We do not want to be either Danish or American,” highlighting the island’s push for greater independence as global interest in the Arctic grows  [6].

But what has turned Greenland into the new battleground of global geopolitical competition? 

Firstly, the island holds immense reserves of critical raw materials, including rare earths elements — as essential for the energy transition and digital technologies as in defense industries. Currently, the global supply of these metals is heavily concentrated, with China accounting for roughly 70% of total production [7]. However, as the ice caps continue to melt, areas of Greenland’s underground reserves that were once out of reach are becoming increasingly accessible. Still, there are numerous barriers to the development of new mining sites on the island: extreme climatic conditions, high exploitation costs, public opposition to mining (particularly uranium, due to its radioactivity), lack of physical and digital infrastructure and above all, a dearth of foreign investment [3;7;8]. These factors currently limit the territory’s mining industry to just two operating mines: one of rubies, and one of anorthosite. [3]

Moreover, climate change and rising sea levels are opening up trade routes that were previously only navigable for brief periods of the year, making Greenland’s geographical position increasingly strategic. These Arctic routes, which would significantly shorten trade connections between Asia, Europe and North America, are now a key asset for Russia, which de facto effectively manages the traffic and sets up icebreaker fleets [3], thus benefiting economically from the transit duties (from Shanghai to Rotterdam would be 6,400 km shorter and takes 13 fewer days than the traditional Suez Canal route) [2].

Finally, Greenland holds military significance — one that grows in times of war and geopolitical tension. The territory lies along the shortest flight path for intercontinental ballistic missiles between North America and Russia, making it a critical vantage point for monitoring airspace and tracking submarine activity. In this sense, the Pituffik base is one of the operational cornerstones of the US defense system (and, for now, also of NATO forces) in the Arctic [3;8].   

Yet, the United States is not the only major player active on the island. Moscow has intensified its presence by expanding its bases and naval patrols, while in recent years Beijing has attempted to invest in ports, airports and mines. Most notably, China has made overtures to present itself as a backer of Greenland’s pro-independence aspirations [3].

All in all, even though 80% of its soil is covered by white plains [1], the world’s largest island has become a central pawn in the rivalry between the US, China and Russia. And in recent months, the message from Washington to its competitors has been clear: the United States is ready to take a far more assertive role in the region.

The game is on.

Edited by Maxime Pierre.

References

[1]: Il Sole 24 Ore. (2025). “Groenlandia, voto cruciale tra minacce di Trump e voglia di indipendenza”. Retrieved March 10, 2025 from: https://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/groenlandia-voto-incombono-mire-trump-e-voglia-indipendenza-AG48WeRD?refresh_ce=1

[2]: Corriere della Sera. (2025). “La Groenlandia al voto e le ambizioni di Usa, Russia e Cina: chi la spunterà nella grande partita per conquistare l’Artico?”. Retrieved March 11, 2025 from: https://www.corriere.it/esteri/25_marzo_11/groenlandia-contesa-elezioni-artico.shtml

[3]: Corriere della Sera. (2025). “Cosa c’è in Groenlandia che piace tanto a Trump? E perché ci puntano anche Cina e Russia?”. Retrieved March 12, 2025 from: https://www.corriere.it/economia/aziende/25_marzo_12/cosa-c-e-in-groenlandia-che-piace-tanto-a-trump-e-perche-ci-puntano-anche-cina-e-russia-b5cce0fd-4629-4512-8e18-336b8e50dxlk.shtml

[4]: Il Post. (2025). “Quattro partiti in Groenlandia hanno trovato un accordo per formare un governo”. Retrieved March 28, 2025 from: https://www.ilpost.it/2025/03/28/groenlandia-coalizione-governo/

[5]: AGI. (2025). “Trump vuole la Groenlandia a tutti i costi”. Retrieved March 30, 2025 from https://www.agi.it/estero/news/2025-03-30/trump-groenlandia-forza-militare-30670253/

[6]: Arctic Council. (2024, May 7). Bringing the Arctic Council forward. https://arctic-council.org/news/bringing-the-arctic-council-forward/

[7]: WIRED. (2025). “Come la Groenlandia e le sue terre rare sono diventate l’ultimo terreno di scontro geopolitico”. Retrieved March 31, 2025 from

https://www.wired.it/article/groenlandia-terre-rare-geopolitica-trump-cina/

[8]: Italia Oggi. (2025). “Perché Trump vuole la Groenlandia? L’isola del Regno di Danimarca per gli Usa è strategica”. Retrieved March 31, 2025 from: https://www.italiaoggi.it/economia-e-politica/politica-estera/perche-trump-vuole-la-groenlandia-lisola-del-regno-di-danimarca-per-gli-usa-e-strategica-gzt8p5ao?refresh_cens#google_vignette

[9]: Groenlandia.it (2025). “Informazioni sulla Groenlandia”, from https://www.groenlandia.it/articoli/informazioni-sulla-groenlandia

[10]: Trump, D. [@realdonaldtrump]. (n.d.). [Video reel]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/realdonaldtrump/reel/DGhfpgHsOg6/?hl=en

[11]: Ansa. (2025). “In Groenlandia governo di larga coalizione in chiave anti-Usa”. Retrieved March 28, 2025 from: https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/mondo/2025/03/28/in-groenlandia-governo-di-larga-coalizione-in-chiave-anti-usa_ae9bf7f3-63f6-4a6d-807e-643555794401.html

[12]: New York Times (2025). “Inside Trump’s Plan to ‘Get’ Greenland: Persuasion, Not Invasion”. Retrieved April 10, 2025 from: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/us/politics/trump-greenland-denmark.html?ref=oembed

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