Greenland: An Island of Ice

1. Greenland: An Island of Ice

2. U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his ambition to take control of Greenland for national security reasons and questioned whether Denmark has any legal right to the Arctic island. Pictured: An aerial view of Greenland's capital Nuuk, January 15. REUTERS/Marko Djurica Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

3. NATO leaders have warned that Trump's Greenland strategy could upend the alliance, while the leaders of Denmark and Greenland have offered a wide array of ways for a greater U.S. presence on the strategic island territory of 57,000 people. Pictured: The Danish military Offshore Patrol Vessel P572 HDMS Lauge Koch sails near Nuuk's old harbour, January 15. REUTERS/Marko Djurica Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

4. People attend a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's demand that the Arctic island be ceded to the U.S., calling for it to be allowed to determine its own future, in Nuuk, Greenland, January 17. REUTERS/Marko Djurica Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

5. Trump's ambition to wrest sovereignty over Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark has threatened to blow apart the alliance that has underpinned Western security for decades. Pictured: Danish soldiers land at Nuuk airport, January 19. Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

6. Trump this week posted an AI image of himself in Greenland, holding a U.S. flag. Another showed him speaking to leaders next to a map showing Canada and Greenland as part of the United States. Asked later how far he was willing to go to acquire Greenland, Trump told reporters at the White House: "You'll find out." Pictured: Noorliit cemetery in Nuuk, Greenland. RitzauScanpix/Mads Claus... Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

7. Trump has vowed to slap tariffs on a raft of EU countries including Germany, France, Sweden and Britain, until the U.S. is allowed to buy Greenland. Those countries had last week sent military personnel to the vast Arctic island at Denmark's request. Pictured: A building containing social housing with an Inuit mural in Nuuk, Greenland. REUTERS/Marko Djurica Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

8. Denmark colonised Greenland in the 18th century when missionary Hans Egede arrived in 1721, marking the start of the colonial era. In 1916, the United States bought the Danish West Indies - now the U.S. Virgin Islands - for $25 million in gold. As part of that treaty, Washington declared it would not object to the Danish government extending its "political and economic interests to the whole of... Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

9. Greenland shifted from colony to formal territory in 1953 under Denmark’s constitution, though Greenlanders were not consulted. Any sale would require a constitutional amendment. Since 2009, Greenland can declare independence through a self-rule process requiring a referendum and Danish parliamentary approval. Autonomy is extensive but excludes foreign affairs and defence unless agreed.... Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

10. Greenland joined the European Community in 1973 via Denmark but withdrew in 1985 after gaining home rule. It now holds Overseas Country and Territory status with the EU, maintaining a special fisheries arrangement. PICTURED: The landscape outside Nuuk, Greenland. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

11. The U.S. flag flies outside the U.S. consulate in Nuuk. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

12. Relations between Denmark and Greenland have been strained by revelations of historical misconduct. In the 1950s, Danish authorities forcibly relocated Inuit to larger towns, marginalising the practices and languages of indigenous people who make up almost 90% of the population. Denmark apologised in 2022 for a 1950s experiment that sent Greenlandic children to Denmark. PICTURE: Boats at harbor... Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

13. Greenland joined the European Community in 1973 via Denmark but withdrew in 1985 after gaining home rule. It now holds Overseas Country and Territory status with the EU, maintaining a special fisheries arrangement. PICTURED: The melting Sermeq glacier, south of Nuuk, Greenland. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

14. Polls indicate a majority of Greenlanders support independence in principle. But many warn against rushing due to economic reliance on Denmark and becoming overly exposed to the United States if independence is pursued too quickly. Fishing accounts for over 90% of exports, while Danish subsidies cover about half the public budget, funding hospitals and schools and underpinning infrastructure... Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

15. The U.S. military maintains a permanent presence at Pituffik air base in northwest Greenland under a 1951 agreement granting freedom to build bases with Danish and Greenlandic notification. Denmark has historically accommodated the U.S. presence because Copenhagen does not have the capability to defend Greenland and benefits from U.S. security guarantees through NATO. PICTURED: The U.S.... Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

16. Trump has said acquiring Greenland is a national security priority. The shortest route from Europe to North America runs via Greenland, making it important for the U.S. ballistic missile early-warning system. Nuuk is closer to New York than to Copenhagen.Greenland sits at a geopolitical crossroads amid Arctic militarisation by NATO, Russia and China. The U.S. wants to expand its military... Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

17. Independence could allow association with the U.S. under a Compact of Free Association, similar to agreements with Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands. COFA typically provides U.S. services and military protection in exchange for defence access, but whether Greenland would benefit depends on the scale of support and the pace of economic diversification beyond fishing. PICTURED: An icberg... Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

18. When Trump offered to buy the island during his first presidential term, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it "absurd". Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen reiterated in December 2025 that Greenland could not be annexed and international security did not justify such a move. PICTURED: People visit the Tivoli fairground in Nuuk, Greenland.... Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

19. A soccer goal in Qeqertarsuatsiaat, Greenland. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

20. The Jakobshavn glacier is seen at the Jakobshavn ice fjord near Ilulissat, Greenland. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

21. A bird flies past residential building near Nuuk's old harbour, in Greenland. REUTERS/Marko Djurica Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

22. Icebergs are seen at the mouth of the Jakobshavn ice fjord during sunset near Ilulissat, Greenland. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

23. Melting water and glacier mud in the North of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

24. An iceberg is seen at the shore of a graveyard in Nuuk, Greenland. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

25. A general view of the landscape outside Nuuk, Greenland. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

26. A man stands on a street in Nuuk, Greenland. REUTERS/Marko Djurica Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

27. The melting Sermeq glacier, south of Nuuk, Greenland. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

28. Greenland's capital Nuuk. Ritzau Scanpix/ Mads Claus Rasmussen Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

29. Icebergs at the mouth of the Jakobshavn ice fjord during sunset near Ilulissat, Greenland. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

30. An evening view of houses in Nuuk, Greenland. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab