US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that oil, gas and mineral exploration was preparing to begin in Greenland, and hailed the Arctic island's position for US and European security.
Washington signed a security deal with the leaders of Greenland and Denmark after Trump threatened to take Copenhagen's strategically important Arctic Circle territory by force.
Greenland, which lies on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States, represents a highly strategic location for Trump's desired "Golden Dome" defense shield.
It also has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a critical player as melting polar ice opens up new shipping routes.
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"Massive Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration is getting ready to begin in our new and beautiful Greenland!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Citing experts, Trump said "the amount of easily available Oil is far greater than that of almost… anywhere in the World."
He did not give details of prospective American involvement.
In August, media reports of a US oil company's preparatory operations in a remote region of eastern Greenland left locals and authorities on the island uneasy.
In the same message on Truth Social, Trump hailed Greenland's position as "second to none" for US and European security.
"Any future attack on the United States will have to come across Greenland, where our Defense will routinely knock down drones, missiles, or any other form of weapon not yet even conceived," Trump said.
"It gives us time, location, and sightline, like nowhere else in the World!" he added.
Trump signed a security deal with the leaders of Greenland and Denmark in September.
Under the 10-page pact, the US will build two military bases in southern and eastern Greenland.
These will be established in Narsarsuaq in the south of the island and Mestersvig in the east, in addition to the Pituffik base it already operates in the north.
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This article originally appeared on AFP at https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/trump-says-massive-oil-gas-064847493.html