Greenland Vital to US Interests, Says Trump’s National Security Adviser, as President-Elect Leaves Military Acquisition Option Open

Greenland holds significant importance for U.S. national security, U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz stated on Wednesday, following remarks by President-elect Donald Trump suggesting that the United States should assume control of the island.

In an interview with Fox News, Waltz, who has been selected to serve as Trump’s national security adviser, was asked about Trump’s interest in the U.S. taking control of the mineral-rich Arctic island.

“You have Russia that is trying to become king of the Arctic, with 60-plus ice breakers, some of them nuclear power,” he said. “We have two, and one just caught on fire.”

Waltz added, “This is about critical minerals. This is about natural resources. This is about, as the polar ice caps pull back, the Chinese are now cranking out ice breakers and pushing up there as well. So it’s oil and gas. It’s our national security.”

Trump, who is set to take office on January 20, has not ruled out the possibility of using military or economic measures to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.

During his first term, Trump proposed that Denmark sell Greenland to the United States, but the Danish government firmly rejected the idea.

Greenland’s Prime Minister, Múte B. Egede, has reiterated that the island is not for sale.

On Wednesday, Greenland’s government acknowledged the evolving security dynamics in the Arctic and expressed its readiness to collaborate with the incoming Trump administration and other NATO allies to ensure security and stability in the region.

Strategically significant, Greenland is a NATO member through Denmark’s membership and serves as the shortest route between Europe and North America. The island also plays a vital role in the U.S. military’s ballistic missile early-warning system.