Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, will visit Nuuk on 15 June, becoming the first foreign head of state to travel to Greenland since Donald Trump floated a possible purchase of the island in 2019. According to Connaissance des Énergies and Agence France-Presse, the Élysée describes the trip as a clear signal of European solidarity with this autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. The island, four times the size of France and 80 % ice-covered, holds significant reserves of rare metals and occupies a strategic position on the shortest route between Russia and the United States. Macron said before departure: “Greenland is not for taking,” rejecting any form of predation.
Diplomatic sequence, hydropower and naval presence
The official programme will begin at 11 h 30 local time when a helicopter sets down the presidential delegation on the Nunatarsuaq glacier, thirty kilometres from the capital, for a scientific briefing on accelerated melting. The head of state will then visit the Buksefjorden hydro-electric plant, drilled six hundred metres inside the mountain and partly financed by the European Union, to discuss future low-carbon electricity capacity. The day will conclude aboard a Royal Danish Navy frigate with Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen. Paris insists on the trilateral nature of the stop, intended to illustrate maritime security cooperation in the Arctic.
The visit comes less than three months after United States Vice-President JD Vance was confined to the American base at Pituffik following Inuit protests against any prospect of annexation. Vance publicly reproached Copenhagen for “not properly ensuring the island’s security”, remarks that rekindled diplomatic tension. In response, Denmark announced a €2 bn ($2.15 bn) budget to strengthen Arctic surveillance and infrastructure. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) also plans to open an air-command centre in Norway north of the Arctic Circle.
Record melt and mining stakes
Readings from the Danish Meteorological Institute show that between 15 May and 21 May Greenland’s ice sheet lost seventeen times its average weekly volume, the result of an unprecedented heatwave. The acceleration has exposed new deposits of dysprosium, neodymium and other rare earths, critical resources for permanent-magnet technologies. The European Commission sees this potential as a chance to diversify supply chains dominated by China, and several French companies, including Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières and Orano Mining, will join the delegation to explore exploitation frameworks. “Our partners want cooperation that respects international rules,” a presidential adviser says, noting that the 57 000-strong population retains final say over any mining activity.
