Trump Expands US Military in Greenland with New Deal

Fox News correspondent Jeff Paul reports on President Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This meeting follows recent drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and Ukrainian energy targets. Additionally, Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen explains a security agreement with Denmark. This agreement grants the U.S. permanent military access and airspace control in Greenland and includes plans to reopen a base from the Cold War era.

President Donald Trump announced that significant oil, gas, and mineral exploration is expected to begin in Greenland. This announcement was made on Truth Social, where Trump shared that Greenland possesses a vast amount of easily accessible oil, which is crucial for U.S. and European security.

“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 even conceived,” Trump added.

Trump emphasized that Greenland provides unique strategic advantages due to its location. However, he did not provide further specifics on the timeline or approach for initiating the exploration.

In 2021, Greenland’s government stopped issuing new oil and gas exploration licenses due to environmental and climate concerns. Some existing licenses remain valid, but any drilling would require additional government approvals. While Greenland is believed to hold considerable oil and gas resources, commercially viable reserves have not yet been confirmed.

The U.S., Denmark, and Greenland signed a new security agreement expanding U.S. military presence on the Arctic island last month. This comes in addition to the extensive military rights the U.S. already had under a 1951 defense agreement. The new deal enhances Washington’s capacity to establish more military installations, subject to the outlined procedures and consultations in the agreement.

The agreement limits military installations by non-NATO countries and sets up safeguards against foreign investments that could threaten sensitive sectors, such as natural resource and critical infrastructure sectors.

Despite Trump’s previous assertions that U.S. ownership of Greenland was essential for national security, the new agreement does not include granting U.S. sovereignty over the island. Greenland remains a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, controlling domestic affairs like mineral resources while Copenhagen handles foreign, defense, and security policies.

Protests were held in Nuuk, Greenland, in response to Trump’s interest in acquiring the island.