Staff install European Union flags in Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 7 (local time), ahead of a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, at a ground station of European satellite communications firm Eutelsat OneWeb. AP-Yonhap
With U.S. President Donald Trump keeping a covetous eye on Danish-ruled Greenland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk on the 7th and pledged support worth about 310 billion won. Greenland appears to be using Trump’s threats as leverage to draw European attention and investment.
According to The Wall Street Journal, von der Leyen met Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Nuuk on the 7th, signed a joint EU-Greenland declaration and unveiled plans for an additional 200 million euros (about 310 billion won) in support for Greenland.
At a news conference after the three-way meeting with the Danish and Greenlandic leaders, von der Leyen said the bloc would inject 200 million euros in new funding into Greenland over this year and next. She said the investment partnership would create new opportunities both in Greenland and across the Arctic, and would make the EU stronger and more actively engaged.
According to The Associated Press, about 400 troops from 11 NATO member countries including Denmark, Canada and Finland began military exercises in Greenland on the 7th under the name Arctic Shield. The drills run through the 18th.
EU Courts Greenland as Trump Offers Only Talk
(From left) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen shake hands after signing a joint declaration in Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 7. AFP-Yonhap
The latest funding is separate from the EU’s pledge earlier this year to double direct support for Greenland. Von der Leyen had previously proposed raising the bloc’s direct support for Greenland to $530 million (about 830 billion won) in the next long-term budget covering 2028 to 2034, twice the current level.
Denmark has also moved to shore up its hold on the territory. Copenhagen last year announced more than $6.5 billion in additional military spending to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic, including Greenland. The Danish government has set aside $250 million through 2029 to support infrastructure, health care and economic growth in Greenland.
Greenlandic politicians have openly used U.S. interest as leverage to accelerate European investment. Greenland’s Foreign Minister Mute B. Egede told European Parliament lawmakers last week that if they did not put forward proposals soon, others would, adding that he could feel the situation moving quickly. The remarks were read as indirect pressure, suggesting that other major powers such as the United States could step in if Europe fails to offer strong support. The EU, which needs to rally European countries against the Trump administration, is facing a series of setbacks, including Iceland’s decision last week to reject EU membership. With a visible EU presence in Greenland more important than ever, such demands are difficult to ignore.
Unlike the EU’s active moves, the Trump administration has offered grand rhetoric but little action. Trump has made bold statements about buying Greenland but has never named a specific price or put forward a substantive deal. Investment by some businesspeople and exploration firms tied to the administration has also stalled. Such talk, which delivers no real economic benefit, has become an object of ridicule among local residents. Most of them pointedly ignored Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Trump’s designated special envoy, when he made his first visit to Nuuk in May.
That has prompted suggestions in the United States that Washington allow imports of Greenlandic sealskin. Greenlanders and other Inuit have hunted seals for centuries for meat and hides, but international bans have left the industry facing collapse. The idea is that allowing seal imports could help the United States improve relations with Greenland’s residents.