Following Trump’s announcement, the ministry states that investors from the USA do not have first right to raw materials in Greenland.
If the United States must investigate oil and other raw materials in Greenland, it must be done within the framework of Greenlandic legislation, as Greenland has taken over the case area from Denmark.
And investors from the USA do not have first right of access to raw materials in Greenland either.
This is stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a written reply to Ritzau.
– The raw materials area has been taken over by Greenland’s Self-Government. If the US wants to explore the Greenlandic underground for oil, gas and minerals, it will have to be done within the framework of relevant Greenlandic legislation.
– The agreement of 22 September 2026 between Greenland, Denmark and the USA does not change that, states the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The answer comes after the President of the United States, Donald Trump, wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday morning Danish time that “preparations are being made for an extensive investigation (exploration, ed.) of oil, gas and minerals in our new and beautiful Greenland”.
– There are experts who claim that the amount of readily available oil is far greater than in almost any other country in the world, wrote Donald Trump.
The State Department does not address Trump’s announcement of an upcoming “comprehensive exploration of oil, gas and minerals” in the department’s response.
But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs further informs that investors from the USA have “no preferential position compared to investors from other NATO countries, EU countries and NATO partners when it comes to access to raw materials in Greenland”.
Neither ministers from the Danish or Greenlandic governments have yet commented on Donald Trump’s post.
But earlier on Wednesday, Jørgen Hammeken-Holm, who is head of department in Greenland’s Department for Business, Raw Materials, Energy, the Judiciary and Gender Equality, spoke to the American CNN.
He said there are “activities from American companies” in Greenland, but it is “very far from massive exploration” for oil.
– There are many smaller investigations underway, but it may take years before they become operational, said Jørgen Hammeken-Holm to CNN.
At the end of September, the USA, Greenland and Denmark entered into a new security and defense agreement on Greenland after lengthy negotiations.
It happened at a signing ceremony in the UN building in New York City, shortly after Donald Trump had given a speech at the UN General Assembly.
With the agreement, the US helps decide, for example, who can drill for oil in Greenland.
RITZAU
