Greenland: Why the US has its sights set on vast Arctic island

Hours after his son Donald Trump Jr touched down in the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, on Tuesday onboard a Trump-branded plane, the US president-elect, Donald Trump, held a press conference where he refused to rule out using military force to make Greenland part of the US, and threatened to impose "very high" tariffs on Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory, if it gets in his way.

- Miranda Bryant

Why is Donald Trump so fixated with Greenland?

Trump has said the US needs control of Greenland – and the Panama Canal – for "economic security," and has described ownership and control of the territory as an "absolute necessity". Greenland has long been on Trump's radar as a target for purchase and in 2019 he confirmed reports that he had been urging aides to find out how the US could buy the vast Arctic island, describing the purchase as "a large real estate deal".

As well as oil and gas, Greenland's supply of multiple in-demand raw materials for green technology is attracting interest – including from China, which dominates global rare earth production and has threatened to restrict the export of critical minerals. By acquiring Greenland, the US could keep China out.

Positioned between the US and Russia, Greenland is emerging as a geopolitical battleground as the climate crisis worsens.