Greenland is an island mired in inconsistencies and ironies. It is named after a color, yet its tundra is a bleak white. It is the largest island in the world, a landmass three times the size of Texas, yet only 60,000 people call it home. While gigantic ice sheets and a sparse population may create an illusion of emptiness and unimportance, the self-governing territory of Denmark harbors vast reserves of oil and other natural resources while occupying a strategic position in the Arctic. As a result, President Donald Trump has threatened that the United States might annex the island. Trump’s statements have revived the push to fully decolonize Greenland, yet these efforts risk falling into another neocolonial paradigm. Now more than ever, Greenland needs to chart a path to true independence, something that can best be achieved by working with the EU.
Danish colonization of Greenland began 300 years ago, when missionary Hans Egede landed on the island in 1721, looking to convert lost Viking communities to Protestantism. Instead of Vikings, he found the Inuit. Under the racist assumption that the Indigenous Kalaallit people were incapable of ruling themselves, Denmark began a centuries-long project of establishing colonial settlements, exploiting natural resources, and suppressing Indigenous traditions and their language, Kalaallisut. Families were separated, and Kalaallit children were sent to boarding schools in Denmark, similar to the fates of thousands of Indigenous children in the United States and Canada. Denmark has been accused of committing genocide after a 1960s and 70s campaign of forced intrauterine contraceptive procedures on an estimated 4,500 women, some as young as 14; the United States is guilty of the same crime, performing surgeries on thousands of Indigenous women. Many did not consent to the operation nor even knew that it was happening, making them victims of an effort to control Greenland’s birth rate at the behest of the Danish government.
Despite the colonial project, Greenland remains predominantly Indigenous, with 88 percent of the population identifying as Inuit (predominantly local Kalaallit). Additionally, Greenland is slowly shedding Denmark’s colonial authority: The island established its own parliament following the Home Rule Act of 1979 and attained full self-governance with the right to secede (following a successful referendum) in the Greenland Self-Government Act of 2009. Eighty-four percent of Greenlanders currently support independence—the biggest question for years has not been a matter of if but rather when the island will finally throw off its Danish yoke.
Even though Greenland was officially granted the opportunity to secede by the Danish government, the island has chosen not to exercise this right largely because of economic factors. Denmark provides a $600 million annual grant to the island, which supports over half of its public budget, including universal education and healthcare. Without a major change in Greenland’s economy, the island will not be able to single-handedly support these programs. The Trump administration is reportedly considering offering to replace or increase this funding should Greenland agree to American demands, but funding could get cut under American control, effectively swapping out one colonial power for another. Even if the island developed a more robust economy to avoid overreliance on foreign powers, Indigenous leaders worry about the environmental consequences of exploiting the island’s mineral reserves.
For Trump, the island offers an unparalleled real estate opportunity with huge reserves of critical minerals for green technologies, including copper and cobalt. These materials are vital to Trump’s “America First” plan to dominate energy production and counter China, which currently dominates the global market for these minerals. Greenland is also an “absolute necessity” to Trump due to its location in the Arctic, which is between North America and Europe and not far from Russia; the United States already operates at least one known military base on the island, though Trump has made statements referring to multiple US bases being housed in Greenland. As ice sheets melt, Greenland may also finally offer a viable Northwest Passage for trade across the Arctic waters of North America.
Though Trump has called for American ownership of Greenland since 2019, these statements are ramping up considerably in his second term. In some instances, he has suggested that Greenland could become independent so long as they lease out more land for military bases in lieu of Danish grants. In others, he has alluded to seizing the island by force out of fear that an independent Greenland might be too open to trade with other powers rather than exclusively serving US corporations.
Many Greenlanders are excited to have international attention on their fraught relationship with Denmark, reigniting the ambition to finally prepare for independence. However, they are not happy with the implication that successfully leaving Denmark could result in joining the United States. A recent poll found that 85 percent of Greenlanders explicitly do not want to join the United States, compared to only 6 percent in support. Parliamentary elections held on March 11, 2025, resulted in a complete overhaul of the Greenland government. The party in support of gradual independence took the most seats, and a party in support of rapid independence took the second-most. While the speed at which Greenland will head toward independence remains uncertain as coalition talks are underway, all five seat-winning parties released a joint statement denouncing Trump’s plans to annex their home.
Rather than acquiescing to American business interests, Greenland may want to follow Japan’s lead and consider entering a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with the European Union to promote development, defense, democracy, and human rights as it prepares for independence. Despite being a part of Denmark, Greenland officially left the European Economic Community in 1985 due to disagreements over fishing regulations imposed by the EU. Despite this past dispute, Russian, Chinese, and American encroachment is currently an existential threat to both the island and the continent; Trump’s expansionary and selfish approach to geopolitics may be a new common ground between Greenland and the EU. Denmark has already laid out a clear path to independence for Greenland and should be happy if the island chooses European partnerships over the United States in preparation for taking that final step.
The EU is already planning to divest its weapons procurement from the United States and reinvest within European borders. Part of their renewed focus on home-growing European security should involve bulwarking Greenland without obligations to an aggressive world power like the United States in advance of its independence. Greenland already hopes to renovate its airports to improve tourism and develop a stronger hydropower industry rather than mining its precious critical minerals. Because they do not have the domestic capital to embark on these projects alone, European support would be far more preferable to American.
In February, a US Congressman introduced a bill to the House of Representatives advocating for American acquisition of Greenland and a subsequent renaming of the island to “Red, White, and Blueland.” Despite its physical size, the incredibly lucrative island with only a few thousand inhabitants stands no chance against an American president hellbent on reviving Manifest Destiny. Rather than being renamed, re-exploited, and having its Indigenous community re-traumatized by a colonial overlord, Greenland’s new government should leverage Trump’s attention to secure lucrative deals with other global powers, particularly the European Union, and gradually build a solid foundation for independence.
Amid Greenland’s vast and icy tundra, a nation of people is pushing to be respected by the international community as an equal. This island has been neglected and demeaned for far too long—it is high time Greenlanders trek their own path through the snow and paint a new narrative of their home as an island of abundance and prosperity. Partnering with the EU to resist Trump’s unilateral demands can be an important first step.