Overview
- Trump said a prospective arrangement with NATO covers mineral rights and his 'Golden Dome' missile defense concept, naming JD Vance, Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff to lead talks after pausing tariff threats and ruling out force.
- Denmark and Greenland rejected any transfer of control, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stating sovereignty is not up for discussion and several European NATO members backing Greenland’s territorial integrity.
- A new Wood Mackenzie analysis says Greenland has no active mines and most rare earth projects are at early stages because of limited infrastructure, extreme conditions, a small labor pool and regulatory limits including a 2021 uranium ban.
- Financing signals include a U.S. Export-Import Bank letter of interest for $120 million to Critical Metals’ Tanbreez project and discussions with Amaroq, building on an executive order that earmarked $5 billion for critical mineral projects.
- USGS estimates Greenland holds about 1.5 million tons of rare earth reserves but recorded zero production in 2023–2024, and experts warn heightened U.S. rhetoric risks local backlash and that meaningful mining would take years.