French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Greenland on June 15 in a show of support for the autonomous Danish territory coveted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
During his stay, he will meet with Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, the French and Danish governments said on Saturday.
The leaders are expected to discuss North Atlantic and Arctic security, climate change, energy transition and critical materials.
Macron’s visit comes amid Trump’s continued threats to annex Greenland. Since his first term, Trump has repeatedly mused about acquiring the island, home to 56,000 residents but eyed by the U.S. president for its mineral reserves and strategic position in the Arctic. Since his reelection in November, Trump has become increasingly aggressive in his desire to control the island, declining to rule out the use of force to do so.
In May, Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said in an interview with POLITICO that the country wanted to deepen cooperation with the European Union, with mineral resources being the primary area where they could join forces.
Greenland is rich in minerals such as uranium and graphite, both of which are crucial to manufacturing and global supply chains. Still, the country’s mineral stores remain largely unexplored and untapped.
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