Greenland has pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s claim that a surge of oil, gas, and mineral exploration is on the horizon, asserting such projects are several years from starting in earnest.
“Massive Oil, Gas and Mineral Exploration is getting ready to begin,” Trump wrote on the social media site Truth Social on October 14, referring to the Danish territory as “our new and beautiful Greenland.”
President Donald Trump delivers the Commencement address at the graduation ceremony for the University of Alabama, Thursday, May 1, 2025, at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a National Day of Prayer event, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in the White House Rose Garden. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
However, the president did not specify any new projects or companies pursuing work on the Arctic island.
Greenlandic officials pushed back on his description, and Denmark emphasized that a recent security agreement that gave Washington wider access to the island didn’t relax restrictions on resource extraction.
Greenland Disputes Trump Claim
Greenland’s deputy mining minister, Jorgen Hammeken-Holm, acknowledged that “there are activities by US companies are active” but told CNN, “we are very far away from ‘massive’ exploration.”
Many smaller explorations are underway, but they could take years to become operational, he added.
Trump had claimed that Greenland has huge petroleum reserves.
“There are experts who are saying that the amount of easily available Oil is far greater than that of almost any land, anywhere in the World,” he wrote.
Greenlandic MP Naaja H. Nathanielsen, a member of Denmark’s parliament, reacted with similar skepticism, recognizing “the worry in the U.S.” but arguing “I think it’s not a quick fix.”
“There are no Greenlandic barrels of oil on the ground in any near future.”
The announcement follows an agreement the United States, Denmark, and Greenland signed on Sept. 22 that expands American military access to the region.
Denmark’s foreign ministry told Reuters that American resource exploration must abide by Greenlandic laws, and that the agreement didn’t give American investors any preferential treatment over other NATO members, EU countries, or NATO partners.
The text of the deal itself, obtained by Reuters, makes only vague references to “minerals cooperation” and “cooperation on economic development and business promotion,” offering no explicit permission for American oil and gas drilling.
When signing the document, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal “recognizes that we are a people with the right to self-determination,” and Denmark’s prime minister of Frederiksen, noted the agreement “acknowledges and respects” Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenlanders’ right to self-rule.
Greenland Restrictions Frustrate U.S.
Greenland suspended new oil and gas exploration permits in 2021 over environmental concerns and banned uranium mining.
Nevertheless, one American company plans a foray into Greenland’s energy sector; Reuters reported last month that Texas-based Greenland Energy is pursuing a 2027 drilling project in an unexploited onshore basin.
Reuters noted, however, that Greenland Energy lacks an exploratory permit, and authorities are debating whether permits issued before 2021 could apply to the project.
Beyond government restrictions, drilling in Greenland is considered a challenging enterprise because of extreme weather conditions, limited infrastructure and remote location.
Jacob Kaarsbo, an independent security adviser to Denmark, said it would be “extremely dangerous” to assume that the agreement signed in September meant Trump’s interest in Greenland had cooled.
Greenland’s Strategic Value
The value of Greenland comes from its strategic location and vast resources
Trump has repeatedly argued that controlling Greenland should be a US priority, suggesting the US could buy the island from Denmark.
He sparked a diplomatic row in 2019 after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rejected calls to let the U.S. buy the island.
‘Energy Security = National Security’
Trump recently claimed that “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 even conceived.”
The agreement signed last month with Denmark allows expanded American operations at the Pituffik Space Base and other missile-defense facilities in Greenland, as a senior administration official told CNN in remarks.
Energy security is national security, the unnamed official noted, and amid intensified strategic competition with China, the U.S. recognized Greenland’s “strategic importance” and sought to “convert that recognition into a strategic victory for the United States.”
But for now, at least, the gulf between what the president has suggested and what is actually likely to happen remains fairly wide.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics.
