Greenland’s independence push resurges amid U.S. acquisition interests.
CLAREMONT, Calif. — Greenland heads to a parliamentary election next month as fierce debates over independence from Denmark escalate, further fueled by renewed U.S. acquisition interests from President Donald Trump.
At a time when discussions of independence are gaining momentum in Greenland, global interest in the Arctic’s resources has intensified, with the U.S. vying for influence in the region. The renewed interest from Trump, who once floated the idea of purchasing Greenland during his first term in 2019, has rekindled debates about the island’s strategic value as climate change opens new shipping routes and exposes untapped mineral resources, including oil, uranium, and large deposits of iron ore.
In addition, Greenland’s geopolitical significance as a midpoint between the U.S. and Russia has long made it a focal point for U.S. security operations.
“Greenland is necessary not just for us; it’s necessary for international security,” Trump said in January. Regarding economic and military coercion to acquire the island, Trump responded, “It might be that you’ll have to do something.”
Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte B. Egede has since expressed interest in keeping close ties with the U.S. and Denmark, but only to an extent. “Greenland is for the Greenlandic people,” Egede said during a visit to Copenhagen last month. “We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American.”
The election will serve as a pivotal moment in Greenland’s push for sovereignty, with both the ruling and opposition parties advocating for a post-election independence referendum. While 84% of Greenlanders support independence from Denmark and 85% oppose becoming a U.S. territory, the challenges of self-sustainability make full independence unrealistic.
Currently, half of Greenland’s public budget comes from a Danish grant of 4 billion Danish krone ($560 million). On top of that, Denmark subsidizes Greenland’s legal system, military presence, and foreign policy initiatives.
“A common attitude among Danes is that Greenlanders should be grateful for all the good that Denmark has done,” Frank Sejersen, a professor of Greenlandic and Arctic studies at the University of Copenhagen, said via email.
As Greenland contemplates its future, it should be careful about choosing the right moment to seek sovereignty. It must first secure its economy and defenses. Strengthening ties with the U.S. could play a crucial role, and despite Trump’s bold threats, a cooperative future between the two nations — independent of American ownership — remains a possibility.
In fact, many foreign policy experts consider the idea of the U.S. purchasing the island highly unlikely.
“U.S. acquisition of Greenland remains quite unrealistic,” says Troy Bouffard, a retired U.S. Army master sergeant and director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Trump’s aggressive statements likely originate from his “formidable experience involving competitive business practices and, like many business negotiations … the United States and Greenland will find common ground that provides an increase to overall benefits and outcomes resulting in mutually advantageous absolute gains,” Bouffard said in an email.
With one month until elections, Greenland’s path to independence is precarious. While media narratives continue to frame sovereignty as a central issue, past referendums and most notably the last parliamentary election in 2021 have failed to turn rhetoric into reality. The question remains among Greenland’s voters whether this election will break the cycle, or if history will once again delay its ambitions.
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