US President Donald Trump hasn’t given up on his Greenland dreams after all. Trump has silently revived his fixation with Greenland, with a US company linked to the President preparing to start drilling for oil on the Arctic island’s eastern coast. Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Nato ally Denmark, has pushed back and issued a “strong warning” to Trump, according to a report in The Guardian.

The stark warning by Greenland came after a Texas-based company, Greenland Energy, started moving drilling equipment to the remote Jameson Land region without any permission from local authorities. According to a report by Danish outlet Danwatch, a tugboat towing a barge was spotted moving towards the region and unloading around a dozen containers.

A barge is basically a large, flat-bottomed vessel used to carry heavy equipment like drilling machinery. Most barges do not have their own engines.

TRUMP RENEWS GREENLAND FOCUS

In a statement, the Greenland government said no such approval was granted to the firm. “All future logistical matters must be advised and approved by the mineral resources authority – before they are carried out,” the government said in a statement.

Earlier this year, Trump pushed for greater US control of the mineral-rich island and went as far as to threaten a forcible takeover using the military. The eccentric US President’s fixation on Greenland not only rattled NATO, but also led to unease among European allies who have long relied on the US as a defence partner.

Trump, who gave the famous ‘drill, baby, drill’ slogan at his inauguration to call for ramping up fossil fuel extraction, has emphasised that controlling Greenland was needed for “national security”. He has claimed that the Arctic region was covered with “Russian and Chinese ships”.

However, several political analysts have claimed that Trump’s key interest was Greenland’s mineral resources, rare earths and oil.

Now, following a brief lull amid the Iran conflict, Trump has revived his Greenland focus.

Earlier this week, the US President shared an image on Truth Social showing himself towering over a Greenlandic town. “Hello, Greenland!” read the caption of the post.

The sudden attempt by an American firm to start drilling in Greenland will likely be seen as a serious escalation.

US FIRM MOVES TO DRILL IN GREENLAND

Greenland, which sits off the northeastern coast of Canada, stopped issuing new licences for oil exploration in 2021 on environmental grounds. However, a British company, 80 Mile, holds exploration rights in Jameson Land.

According to corporate filings seen by The Guardian, the Texas-based Greenland Energy plans to acquire a majority stake in the project in return for funding the oil exploration.

However, as per Greenland’s rules, the company will still require approval from authorities before drilling.

The chairperson of Greenland Energy, Larry Swets, a close Trump aide, clarified that the project was not in any way related to “US annexation”. He said recent meetings with the Greenlandic regulatory authorities were “constructive” and it would soon receive approval for drilling.

A US Navy veteran, who is working on Trump’s ambitious Golden Dome project, is a director at Greenland Energy, as per the report.

Despite receiving no approval, the US firm has already started moving drilling equipment ashore, rankling the Greenland government.