US President Trump wants to own the island in the Arctic to advance his interests. How are the Greenlandic population doing in this situation?
Greenland has become a pawn in geopolitical power struggles. Even if US President Donald Trump last week took some of the pressure off at the World Economic Forum in Davos. A violent takeover by the USA is unlikely to happen, he said there. But Trump’s annexation fantasies are far from off the table.
The EU has announced further investments for Greenland. There should be money for infrastructure, digitalization and the handling of critical raw materials. To this end, the security strategy for the Arctic is being expanded. Greenland is the largest island in the world and autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Geopolitically, the island in the Arctic is interesting for the USA, for Europe, but also for Russia. Hundreds of journalists from all over the world are waiting for the next phase in the Greenland-USA-Europe conflict. Apparently the contingent of soldiers on site was also increased.
Around 80 percent of the country is covered with ice, and a large amount of raw materials are hidden underneath. And just around 56,000 people live in Greenland. US President Trump wants to “have” the islandfor geopolitical reasons, for economic interests – and above all to expand US territory.
How does the Greenlandic population deal with Trump’s antics? What is life like when your island is suddenly catapulted into the headlines? What is the mood on site?
Tanja Tricarico, head of the wochentaz politics team, talks about this with taz foreign editor Leon Holly, who is currently researching in Greenland’s capital Nuuk.
This episode was recorded on January 28, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. Central European Time.
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