Arktisinsel: Grönland widerspricht Trump: Keine massiven Öl-Erkundungen

The Greenland government has dismissed claims by US President Donald Trump about imminent extensive oil, gas, and mineral exploration in the Arctic island. Jørgen Hammeken-Holm, a senior official from the Greenlandic Ministry of Economy, told CNN that while there are activities from US companies, a large-scale exploration is far from reality.

Small-scale exploration projects had been ongoing, but it could take years before they become operational. Trump had posted on his Truth Social platform in early morning hours (local time) that massive oil, gas, and mineral explorations in Greenland were about to begin, referring to the Arctic island as "our new and beautiful Greenland."

He also claimed there were experts who believed that the amount of easily accessible oil in Greenland was much larger than in almost any other region in the world. Oil and gas extraction in the island has long been considered difficult. The US President seems to be repeatedly trying to address his fellow citizens' concerns about rising energy prices, especially since his Iran war escalated fuel prices.

Three weeks before the crucial congressional elections, the US President and his Republicans are particularly pressured by the rising gas prices. The US, Denmark, and Greenland signed an agreement in September for a deeper security partnership, ending at least temporarily a dispute over the Arctic island that Trump had exacerbated with annexation threats.

The agreement modernizes and supplements a defense pact that Denmark had with the US since 1951. While the agreement does not explicitly mention oil and gas, it does mention cooperation on minerals and generally on economic development.