Investor interest in Greenland mining rises after Trump threats, minister says
Investor interest in Greenland’s mining industry has increased since U.S. President Donald Trump made repeated threats to annex the self-governing Danish territory, a senior Greenlandic official told Reuters on Monday.
The interest has come mainly from the UK, Canada and countries in the European Union, said Naaja H. Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business and mineral resources.
“On the investors’ side, we did see an increase of interest in investments,” she said.
Though Trump first expressed interest in buying Greenland years ago, the past two months have been “hectic,” she said.
The Arctic island is an autonomous territory of Denmark that is strategically located and rich in minerals. Trump stepped up his rhetoric about taking control of Greenland throughout 2025 and into this year. He said Denmark was incapable of protecting the territory from Chinese and Russian influence.
At this year’s Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada mining conference in Toronto, which runs until Wednesday, Greenland brought a delegation of over 20 mining companies.
Benjamin Gallezot, France’s interministerial delegate for ores and metals, said France was ready to take a minority equity stake in mining projects in Greenland to support their development.
Nathanielsen said Greenland was easing permitting and tax laws to encourage investment.
She disputed that Greenland faces a substantial risk from China, noting that only two Chinese companies hold mining licences in Greenland and both of those are inactive.
“So that’s not a big success rate for Chinese investments,” Nathanielsen said. She said that while China remains an important export partner for Greenland, she does not view the country as a threat.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Infrastructure, security focus at Arctic Summit in Yukon, CBC News
Denmark: Denmark to buy more F-35 missiles, boost winter readiness, Reuters
Finland: Trump’s Greenland threats cast shadow on Finland’s icebreaker deals, Yle News
Greenland: Greenland PM declines Trump’s hospital ship, urges him to stop ‘random outbursts’ online, Reuters
Iceland: NATO chief to Arctic Allies: “We’re all frontline states now,” as Iceland’s role grows, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: The UK doubles number of troops in Norway, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Russia claims first-ever North Pole aerial refuelling, TASS reports, Reuters
Sweden: Swedish military intelligence on the great power rivalry over Greenland, Radio Sweden
United States: Rubio says technical talks with Denmark, Greenland officials over Arctic security have begun, The Associated Press
