Trump says US will begin large-scale oil, gas and mineral exploration in Greenland
He gave no operational details; the US, Denmark and Greenland signed an agreement last month after tensions over his earlier threats.
Donald Trump announced that the United States will launch large-scale exploration for oil, gas and minerals in Greenland, but he did not provide operational details about the plans.
Asked about the basis for the move, Trump said: "There are experts who say the amount of easily accessible oil in Greenland is far greater than anywhere else in the world."
Agreement followed earlier tensions
The announcement follows an agreement signed last month between the United States, Denmark and Greenland, intended to ease tensions that arose after Trump had earlier threatened to assume control over the strategically important island.
Trump has so far not specified a timeline, contractors or the environmental safeguards that would accompany any extraction activity, and provided no figures to support the claim cited in his statement.
Officials in Copenhagen and Nuuk have not released additional details linked to the plans announced by Trump; observers say any exploration on Greenland would involve complex legal and political steps given Greenland's status and international partners.
Photo: DPA)
