According to the Financial Times, on January 25, newly elected US President Donald Trump mocked the Danish government's efforts to protect the sovereignty of Greenland, the world's largest island, while asserting that the US would seize and control this crucial Arctic island.

Initially, Trump's offer to buy Greenland was seen as impolite and even sparked diplomatic tensions between the two countries in August 2019 during his first term in the White House.

Before taking office for his second term (on January 20th), Trump again caused a stir with the idea of ​​buying Greenland from Denmark after nominating businessman Ken Howery as the US ambassador to Denmark.

Speaking on TruthSocial , Trump said he wants the United States to acquire Greenland from Denmark “for national security and freedom for the world,” and that Ken Howery would do a “great job representing American interests.”

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Greenland is a beautiful island. Photo: HT

In a statement on January 25, Trump reiterated this, saying he believed the U.S. would own Greenland "because it concerns the freedom of the whole world." He asserted that he wasn't doing this for the U.S., but that only the U.S. "can protect its freedom." He believed Denmark couldn't do that.

On January 10, the Prime Minister of Greenland once again raised the issue of independence from Denmark and said he was ready to discuss the future of the Arctic territory with Trump.

The Danish government is reportedly in a "state of crisis" following Trump's statements about not ruling out the use of military or economic force to persuade Denmark. Trump also had a lengthy phone call with the Danish Prime Minister on January 15th, a conversation described as "tense and heated."

Earlier, Trump had warned he would impose tariffs on Denmark if the proposal to buy the island continued to be rejected.

What makes Greenland so special?

Greenland is known as a very special island. Geographically, it is considered part of North America, but geologically, Greenland is located in the Arctic Circle. What's particularly special is that it lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe. This means it's a strategically important location for the United States.

The island is largely covered in snow, but the ice and snow are melting due to global warming, and the habitable land area will increase accordingly.

Greenland has been known as an autonomous territory of Denmark since 1814. The island covers an area of ​​approximately 2.16 million square kilometers, making it the largest island in the world, with a population of around 60,000 people.

Greenland possesses many valuable resources such as iron ore, lead, zinc, diamonds, gold, rare earth elements, uranium, oil, etc. Most of these resources remain unexploited because 80% of the island's surface is covered by ice.

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Greenland is rich in natural resources. Photo: IFN

In addition, Greenland has the world's purest freshwater and ice. It is also a popular destination for adventure tourism. But more importantly, Greenland possesses a strategic geographical location on a new shipping route in the Arctic as the ice melts.

Greenland is becoming even more important to the US as the Arctic is becoming a disputed region between multiple parties, and the US does not want to be left out. For a long time, Russia and China have also been eyeing and quietly expanding their activities to build an increasing influence in the Arctic.

The United States currently has Thule Air Base on Greenland. This base houses a radar station that is part of a ballistic missile early warning system, used by many key US defense units.

Greenland enjoys a very high degree of autonomy within Denmark. In theory, the island's inhabitants have the right to decide the island's future, whether to sell it or not. Information from 2019 indicated that the people of Greenland did not want to sell it to any country. This is a position Denmark has clearly stated. The EU is also considering the possibility of stationing troops in Greenland.

However, a recent survey showed that more than half of Greenland's population supports Trump's proposal.

Trump's strong move is seen as a message to the people of Greenland that they can return to the US at any time in the future, just like Puerto Rico. Given Greenland's importance and the US's position as the world's number one economy, Washington could pour enormous sums of money into developing the world's largest island.

Throughout history, the United States has made numerous land purchases to expand its territory. Most recently, in 1867, the US purchased Alaska from the Russians for $7.2 million. The most famous US land acquisition was Louisiana from France in 1803. This territory now comprises nearly a quarter of the United States' current land area.

Why does Donald Trump continue to want the US to buy Greenland, the world's largest island? On December 22nd, speaking on TruthSocial, President-elect Donald Trump stated that the US wants to acquire Greenland from Denmark "for national security and freedom for the world." What makes this largest island in the world so special?