Jan. 22 (UPI) — Securing mineral rights in Greenland could be part of a future deal being negotiated regarding Greenland and the entire Arctic region, President Donald Trump said.
The president told a CNBC on Wednesday that he met with NATO Secretary Gen. Mark Rutte, who helped to draft the framework of a potential deal involving Greenland, while both were attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Mineral rights and a Golden Dome aerial defense system in Greenland were among issues being discussed that could become part of a future agreement, he said.
“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America and all NATO nations,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“Additional discussions are being held concerning the Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland,” the president added. “Further information will be made available as discussions progress.”
He also said he will not move forward with tariffs on European nations that oppose Trump’s proposed U.S. annexation of Greenland, which remains a territory of Denmark.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Danish officials “cannot negotiate on our sovereignty,” which Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen seconded, the BBC reported.
Trump said any deal that is made will be permanent and is focused on national security, but he did not provide additional details.
While mineral rights are a potential part of any agreement, experts told The Hill that Greenland’s icy landscape greatly complicates potential mining operations there.
Greenland’s distance from U.S. supply chains further hinders potential mining and distribution of minerals, and many U.S. firms already have secured mining agreements in Greenland.
