During President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress, he said that the United States needs Greenland "for national security and even international security."
"It’s a very small population, but a very, very large piece of land and very, very important for military security," President Trump said.
Greenland's Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede pushed back on President Trump's desire for the U.S. to acquire the island.
"Greenland is ours," he said. "We do not want to be Americans, nor Danes; we are Greenlanders. The Americans and their leaders must understand that. We are not for sale and cannot just be taken. Our future is decided by us in Greenland."
Greenland is not a fully independent nation; rather, it is an autonomous region of Denmark. Greenland has its own parliament and governance but relies on Denmark for its currency and national security.
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The large, mostly ice-covered island has 56,000 residents and is also home to the United States' Pituffik Space Base.
"We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America," President Trump said during Tuesday's address. "We’re working with everybody involved to try and get it. But we need it really for international world security. And I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it."
President Trump's message came with a sales pitch to Greenland.
"We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before," he said.
Although Greenland has a harsh climate with a small population, climate change has made the territory more attractive for mining.
With climate change causing much of Greenland's ice to melt, University College London researchers say now is a critical time for the future of Greenland.
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"Its receding ice sheet opens new ground for mining and exploration, and it is rich in elements that are subject to rapidly accelerating global demand. Political and civil society leaders look to develop the country beyond traditional marine activities, and mining could transform its economy such that independence from Denmark becomes a possibility," wrote Beverley Gibbs, a provost postdoctoral fellow with University College London. "As international developers move in to extract resources, the Naalakkersuisut, the Danish government, and the EU are faced with the challenge of negotiating what effective stewardship means in this context."
