A senior aide to Donald Trump confirmed that the Greenland gamble is about a broader geopolitical dynamic, with the US seeing an increasingly belligerent Russia as a rival for Arctic hegemony.
"This is not just about Greenland. This is about the Arctic. There's a Russia trying to become king... It's about oil and gas. This is about our national security. This is about critical minerals," said Mike Waltz.
Greenland and Svalbard, a Norwegian island, are strategically located.
Svalbard is important to Russia because the Northern Fleet must pass through its sea route to reach the Atlantic.
In 2022, when Norway began blocking Russian ships bound for Barentsburg to comply with economic sanctions against Moscow, the Kremlin was shocked and accused Norway of human rights violations.
In 2024, Russia provocatively placed Soviet flags in the Russian-inhabited towns of Barentsburg and Piramiden and announced the opening of a new scientific center for polar research.
The biggest danger with Trump's obsession with taking over Greenland is the potential inspiration it could give rival powers to start acting in the same imperialist manner, Arctic observers have warned.