Trump says major Greenland resource exploration is set to begin

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that “massive” exploration for oil, gas and minerals is preparing to begin in Greenland, but gave no timetable, locations or details about who would carry it out.

“Massive Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration is getting ready to begin in our new and beautiful Greenland,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He said experts believe the island holds more easily available oil than almost any other place in the world. He did not identify the experts or provide evidence for the estimate.

Greenland is a self-governing Danish territory. Trump’s announcement follows a security agreement signed by the United States, Greenland and Denmark more than four weeks before his post, according to CBS News. The agreement expands the American military presence on the island. It also mentions resource extraction and “minerals cooperation” but gives no details of an exploration project, CBS News reported.

Trump used Wednesday’s post to emphasize Greenland’s military importance, saying the island gives the United States and Europe security advantages that are “second to none.”

“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 conceived,” he wrote. “It gives us time, location, and sightline, like nowhere else in the World!”

The security deal gives the United States broad access to Greenland’s airspace and territory, CBS News reported. It allows an expansion of Pituffik Space Base, an existing U.S. installation used as an early-warning system for incoming missiles. Under the agreement, the United States can also establish bases at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, two sites roughly 950 miles apart. Any of the three parties may propose additional “defense areas,” subject to approval by the others.

The agreement has no expiration date and prevents non-NATO countries from establishing bases on the island without the parties’ agreement, according to CBS News. Al Jazeera reported that it also supports Trump’s planned “Golden Dome” missile defense system while reaffirming Danish sovereignty and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.

Trump has sought greater U.S. control over Greenland since his first term, citing its strategic location. He has suggested buying the island from Denmark or using military force. Al Jazeera described the agreement as an effort to end an almost two-year crisis over his refusal to rule out a U.S. seizure of the territory.

Whether large-scale resource extraction would be commercially viable remains unclear. Some industry experts believe Greenland’s mineral resources have been only lightly explored and that extraction costs have so far made projects uneconomic for private companies, CBS News reported. Al Jazeera reported no immediate response to Trump’s Wednesday post from Greenland’s or Denmark’s leaders.