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Trump’s Statement on Greenland Exposes Global Race for Rare Earths Vital for Technology, Defense, and U.S. Independence from China
In May of this year, President Donald Trump reaffirmed that the United States needed “a lot” from Greenland. The statement reignited the debate over the possible annexation of the Danish territory.
The reason behind the insistence lies in the large amount of critical minerals, especially rare earths, beneath the island’s ice sheet.
Rare earths are a category of 17 chemical elements, including scandium, yttrium, and the lanthanides.
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These materials are essential for various everyday technologies, such as cell phones, flat-screen TVs, wind turbines, and LED lights.
They are also crucial for the production of electric vehicle batteries, MRI machines, and even cancer treatments.
Military Use Increases Importance of Rare Earths
In addition to their use in electronic products, rare earths are fundamental to the national defense of the United States.
According to a research note published in 2025 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), these metals are used in F-35 fighter jets, Tomahawk missiles, submarines, satellites, lasers, and other military technologies.
The American dependency is significant. According to the International Energy Agency, 61% of the world’s rare earth production comes from China.
Even more significant: the Asian country controls 92% of global production in the processing stage, which includes the separation of elements after mining.
Technical Difficulty Increases External Dependency
Although these metals are found throughout the Earth’s crust and are even more abundant than gold, extraction and processing are costly and have environmental impacts.
Furthermore, the United States lacks the capacity to separate the heavy elements, which are scarcer and more complex to isolate.
Until the beginning of this year, even rare earths mined in California were sent to China for the separation process.
This information was confirmed by Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at CSIS, in an interview with CNN.
Tariffs and Tensions Increase Risk for the U.S.
However, this process was interrupted after the Trump administration’s decision to impose high tariffs on China, announced in April.
In response, the Chinese government maintained strict controls on the export of seven rare earth minerals and their associated products.
The measure was interpreted as retaliation against the “reciprocal tariffs” imposed by the U.S.
Despite the truce signed in Geneva, U.S. officials hoped Beijing would ease these restrictions, which has not yet happened.
Between 2020 and 2023, 70% of American imports of rare earth compounds and metals came from China, according to a report from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Greenland, Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia Come into Focus
Besides China, the United States has begun to prioritize rare earths in its foreign policy with other countries.
One of the recent moves was the signing of a “rare earth agreement” with Ukraine. There is also interest in Saudi Arabia and Greenland, which Trump mentioned directly.
According to Gracelin Baskaran, Ukraine still has a very nascent mining industry. While the country is considered in strategic plans, there is still no clear data on the economic viability of extraction in its territory.
The race for rare earths continues, and the United States is seeking alternatives to reduce its dependence on China.
The competition remains open and has implications that go beyond trade, affecting areas such as technology and national security.
With information from CNN.
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