The Greenlands Saga : The Fight Over Ice-Island Future is Far From Over

Greenland "should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark", Trump said on Tuesday, after being received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

"Greenland doesn't help Denmark. Denmark doesn't spend money to really help Greenland," he added. (In fact, Denmark provides Greenland with a so-called block grant worth almost €600 million per year.)

The following day, Trump doubled down on his claims.

"I'm not happy with NATO for what they did with Greenland," he said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to once again defend her country's integrity against one of its own military allies.

"The US position is, unfortunately, very clear on this topic. But our position is as clear as it has been all through: Greenland is not for sale. I hope all allies will respect the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination," Frederiksen told reporters in Ankara.

"We are ready to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory."

Greenlands Saga

Just  six months ago Trump threatened to impose a 10% tariff on eight European countries to coerce Denmark into giving up Greenland.

The EU, which shares 23 members with NATO, convened an emergency summit of leaders to prepare for what could have become a full-scale trade war.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte  met Trump in Davos, Switzerland, and struck a "framework deal" to enhance security in Greenland and the entire Arctic region.

Greenland  vanished from the main conversation.

Dut in Copenhagen, however, an intense apprehension lingered on, as the core issue of the bitter dispute remained uncomfortably unresolved.

Since the events of January, Copenhagen and Nuuk  have discreetly pursued trilateral talks with the White House to find a new common understanding on the ice- island.

The diplomatic track has moved slowly and has yet to deliver any tangible results.

Europe has serious reservations about whether any deal would effectively satisfy Trump's fixation.

Location and Money

Trump says the U.S. needs Greenland to deter threats from Russia and China, and has repeatedly made false claims of Chinese and Russian military forces lurking off the island's coastline.

Greenland is also a rich source of the so-called rare earth minerals that are a key component of cellphones, computers, batteries and other high-tech gadgets that are expected to power the world's economy in the coming decades.

Currently, China dominates the market for these key minerals, but Trump dreams of changing that.

And how can we not mention Ukraine—a country with one of the largest reserves of these minerals?

Trump has prioritized their extraction in an agreement for continued US military aid to the country, which is at war with Russia

Brussels  is Caution

"Territorial integrity, national sovereignty and inviolability of borders are fundamental principles of international law. They are essential not only for the European Union, but for nations around the world,"  the European Commission said.

It remains to be seen how far  the US President will go this time to fulfil his territorial ambitions.

For now,  is fully absorbed in ending the war with Iran. Moreover, his authority to impose tariffs has been weakened after a bruising US Supreme Court ruling, and the upcoming congressional midterm elections — where opposition to any move to annex Greenland is strong — pose a risk to the rest of his second term

Sources:Euronews, PBS