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Why does Trump want Greenland and what could it mean for Nato and the EU?
Video caption,Watch: BBC asks Trump why US owning Greenland is importantArticle Information
Author,James FitzGerald
8 January 2025
Updated 21 January 2026
US President Donald Trump has said he is seeking "immediate negotiations" to acquire Greenland for national security reasons - and insisted he "won't use force".
His repeated demands to take control of the territory have been rejected by Greenland's leaders, and by Nato member Denmark, of which the island is a semi-autonomous territory.
This has led to a wider diplomatic row, with Trump initially threatening additional trade tariffs against a number of European allies for opposing his plans.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said he had dropped the proposed tariffs after forming "the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland" following talks with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte.
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Where is Greenland and why is it important to Trump?
Greenland - the world's largest island - is located in the Arctic. At about 2.2 million sq km (836,330 square miles), it is roughly six times the size of Germany.
It is also the most sparsely populated global territory, with a population of about 56,000 people, mostly indigenous Inuit people.
Its location between North America and the Arctic makes it well placed for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks, and for monitoring vessels in the region.
At the height of the Cold War, the US had plans to station nuclear missiles on the island but abandoned the project over engineering problems and objections by Denmark.
The US has operated Pituffik Space Base - formerly known as Thule Air Base - since World War Two. The base currently monitors for missiles.

About 80% of Greenland is covered by ice, meaning most people live on the south-western coast around the capital, Nuuk.
Its economy is mainly based on fishing, and it receives large subsidies from the Danish government.
In recent years, there has been increased interest in Greenland's natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium and iron. It could also have significant oil and gas reserves.
Trump has focused on such resources elsewhere - including in his dealings with Ukraine - but denies they are behind his desire for Greenland.
However he has repeatedly described the threat he perceives from Russia and China in the region.
In one Truth Social post, he wrote: "Nato has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that 'you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland.' Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it. Now it is time, and it will be done!!!"
In a text message to Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump also said that he no longer felt obliged to focus on peace after not being awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
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What has Trump said about his Greenland plans?
Speaking in Davos on Wednesday, Trump said only the US could protect, develop and improve Greenland.
He also argued that the US could claim the island because of its efforts to defend the territory during World War Two after Denmark was invaded by Germany.
"We already had it, but we returned it to Denmark" he said, adding that the US "should have kept it".
But he insisted the US would not use force.
"We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be frankly unstoppable. But I won't do that," Trump told an audience of world leaders.
"I don't have to use force, I don't want to use force, I won't use force," he added.
He also denied that a US takeover would be damaging to Nato, insisting that the US is "treated very unfairly" by the military alliance and gets very little despite "[giving] so much".
However, after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Nato provided large scale support to the US under Article 5, which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack against all. This was the first use of Nato military assets under Article 5.
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