EU pledges major investment in Greenland amid US annexation threats

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is in Greenland for a two-day visit as the European Union plans a major boost in investment in the region amid threats of US annexation under President Donald Trump.

Alongside the EU investments, she is expected to announce closer political ties with the autonomous Arctic territory which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

The European Commission head arrived in Greenland's capital Nuuk on Sunday in a show of support for Greenland and Denmark, and was received by Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

In a post on X, Von der Leyen said the EU is committed to "contributing to a safe, peaceful Arctic and to the security of Greenland."

The EU package is expected to include hundreds of millions of euros in investment in critical minerals, satellite communications, and renewable energy.

Von der Leyen said the package would be "substantial" but gave no details.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen described the visit as an opportunity to deepen the territory's "close friendship and good partnership" with the EU.

The largely autonomous Greenland left the EU in 1985, although its population of about 57,000 are EU citizens through Danish citizenship.

Von der Leyen's visit comes as the Arctic gains strategic importance for the US, Russia, China and Europe, with melting sea ice opening new shipping routes and increasing access to the region's mineral resources.

Trump has repeatedly stated that the US "needs" Greenland for its "national security," pointing to his claims — without providing evidence — that the island is "covered with Chinese and Russian ships all over the place."

Trump has maintained that Denmark cannot adequately defend the island against China and Russia.

His campaign bid to gain "total access" to the Danish territory has strained US-European relations and raised tensions within NATO as both Greenland and the Danish government have rejected Trump's demands.