Denmark rejects Trump's Greenland oil and mineral claims after new agreement

Denmark has pushed back against President Donald Trump's claim that oil, gas and mineral exploration is about to begin in Greenland. The Danish Foreign Ministry said the recent agreement between Denmark, Greenland and the United States did not change the rules governing extraction on the island. It also said the deal does not give US investors any preferential treatment over investors from other NATO or European Union countries.

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The dispute follows a 10-page agreement signed on September 22 by Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to the material provided, the agreement reaffirmed Danish sovereignty and Greenlanders' right to self-determination. It also allowed the United States to modernise and expand its activities at Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland, while paving the way for two new military bases and Trump's proposed missile defence system.

The agreement did not grant mining or drilling rights. Trump described Greenland as "our new and beautiful Greenland" in a post on Truth Social and said "massive oil, gas, and mineral exploration is getting ready to begin," without giving details. That statement directly conflicts with Denmark's account of the agreement.

Greenland banned uranium mining and all future oil exploration in 2021, which remains an important part of the current legal and political context. Greenland's government is also reviewing whether a Texas company, Greenland Energy, can use permits issued before the ban. The issue matters because Greenland's natural resources and strategic location have long made it a point of interest in wider Arctic politics.

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The island is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and the latest agreement was presented as a way to ease months of tension over Trump's earlier threats to control Greenland. At the same time, the deal appears to preserve existing legal limits on extraction, which means any move toward drilling or mining would still depend on Greenlandic and Danish rules. The background also includes commercial interest in Greenland's east coast, where Greenland Energy said in August that it planned to drill for oil in 2027 at an untested basin, although it did not have its own permit.

Danish security policy adviser Jacob Kaarsbo said Trump's comments could indicate that his desire to control Greenland has not changed. A senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies said the details on mining and exploration rights remain unclear, underscoring the gap between political statements and the legal framework. What remains unresolved is whether Trump's remarks reflect a policy shift or a political message, and how the United States, Denmark and Greenland will interpret the agreement in practice.

The key question now is whether any new commercial or military activity will stay within the limits set by Greenlandic law and the September deal. Further clarification from the three governments would be needed to settle the dispute over resource access and extraction rights.

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