Denmark says White House talks fail to shift Trump on Greenland

Thursday 15 January 2026 - 12:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Denmark says White House talks fail to shift Trump on Greenland

Despite intensified U.S. efforts under President Donald Trump to gain control of Greenland, experts warn that the Arctic territory's extreme climate, remote geography, and lack of infrastructure pose insurmountable barriers no sovereignty change could overcome. The island's vast mineral riches remain locked beneath ice and rock, resisting extraction attempts for decades. "If you want to go to Greenland for its minerals, you're talking billions and billions and billions of dollars and an extremely long timeline before anything comes out," mining industry analyst Louis Marchese told Fortune, delivering a sobering assessment of mining realities.

Greenland holds about 1.5 million tons of rare earths and hosts 25 of the 34 minerals deemed critical raw materials by the European Commission. Yet efforts to exploit these sought-after elements have rarely advanced beyond exploration. Geography presents the biggest hurdle: 80% of the island lies under ice, with even southern inhabited areas lacking roads or rail. Arctic mining costs five to ten times more than elsewhere. "Obviously, remoteness," says Diogo Rosa, economic geologist at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, pinpointing the core challenge. "Any mining project would need to create those accesses." Power must be generated on-site, skilled workers imported, northern areas operable only six months yearly, and equipment must withstand harsh winter exposure. Greenland's rare earths are trapped in complex eudialyte rock, for which no profitable extraction process exists yet.

The island currently operates just two mines: White Mountain's anorthosite operation and the small Nalunaq gold mine. No rare earth extraction has ever occurred. Critical Metals Corp announced this month approval for a pilot plant in Qaqortoq, targeting completion by May 2026. Its Tanbreez project ranks among the world's largest rare earth deposits, but analysts note commercial production years away, with operational mines unlikely before 2028.

These mining challenges framed a key White House meeting Wednesday between Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenlandic leader Vivian Motzfeldt with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. After two hours, Rasmussen called discussions "frank" but said Denmark failed to budge Washington's stance. "It's clear the president has this ambition to take control of Greenland," he noted afterward. Motzfeldt added Greenland welcomes deeper cooperation but rejects takeover: "We have clearly set our boundaries." Trump, from the Oval Office, reiterated: "We need Greenland for national security." Sector analysts urge the U.S. to look elsewhere. "If we're in a resource race—for critical minerals—then we should focus on resources that can most easily get to market," said David Abraham, author of "The Elements of Power."