Denmark pushes back as Trump touts Greenland oil and mineral deals

Recent US-Greenland-Denmark statement excludes mining oregon drilling rights portion reinforcing Greenland’s sovereignty.

Denmark has demanded that US assets exploration successful Greenland respect the island’s laws amid President Donald Trump’s assertion that oil, state and mineral extraction volition soon statesman there.

The Danish Foreign Ministry reaffirmed connected Wednesday that past month’s statement betwixt Denmark, Greenland and the US did not change the rules for extraction.

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The statement “does not assistance investors from the US immoderate preferential treatment” implicit investors from different NATO and EU countries erstwhile it comes to entree to earthy resources successful Greenland, the ministry said.

In a station connected Truth Social, US President Trump called the semi-autonomous Danish territory “our caller and beauteous Greenland”.

“Massive Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration is getting acceptable to begin,” he wrote, without providing details.

What the woody covers

Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen signed the 10-page statement connected the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly successful New York connected September 22, ending months of tensions implicit Trump’s threats to control Greenland.

The woody allows the US to “modernise and expand” its activities astatine the Pituffik Space Base, a distant US subject installation successful northwest Greenland.

It besides paved the mode for 2 new subject bases and Trump’s “Golden Dome” rocket defence system, portion reaffirming Danish sovereignty and Greenlanders’ close to self-determination.

It did not allocate immoderate rights for mining oregon drilling.

Greenland’s ban

Greenland banned uranium mining and each aboriginal lipid exploration successful 2021.

Its authorities is reviewing whether a Texas firm, Greenland Energy, tin usage permits that predate the ban.

The institution said successful August it planned to drill for lipid successful 2027 astatine an untested basin connected Greenland’s eastbound coast, though it lacked its ain permit.

Danish information argumentation advisor Jacob Kaarsbo said Trump’s comments could awesome that his tendency to power Greenland remains unchanged.

“It is highly unsafe to presumption this statement betwixt the Trump medication and Denmark arsenic thing that has altered Trump’s intentions,” helium said.

Mikkel Olesen, a elder researcher astatine the Danish Institute for International Studies, told Al Jazeera that details regarding mining and exploration rights remained unclear and that accusation coming mostly from the US broadside should beryllium taken “with a atom of salt”.

Richard Weitz, a chap astatine the NATO Defense College successful Rome, said Trump “backed down and settled for less” than helium sought, but inactive “got beauteous overmuch everything helium wanted, but ceremonial annexation”.