Denmark’s Foreign Minister summoned the top US diplomat in the country on Wednesday (August 27) following reports of covert influence operations led by Americans linked to US President Donald Trump.At a press conference, Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that the Danes would “make a very clear statement” decrying the allegations of a US-led effort to bolster a secessionist movement in Greenland, an autonomous province of Denmark. During his current presidency, Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in “purchasing” and taking control of the Arctic island from Denmark, and even showed a willingness to use force to this end.Rasmussen had previously summoned Mark Stroh, the chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Copenhagen, in May following a report by The Wall Street Journal. The WSJ report claimed that US intelligence agencies in Denmark had received a classified message asking them to identify people aligned with Trump’s desire to acquire the island.What are the allegations? And why is the US interested in Greenland?Earlier in the day, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) published a report stating that three men with connections to Trump had embarked on covert influence operations in Greenland. According to the report, one of these men was recently elevated to a major role in US security policy. The DR report said he had compiled lists of Greenlandic citizens who supported Trump’s endeavour to take over Greenland, and would eventually be recruited by the US for a secession movement.The DR report chose not to publicly identify the three men to protect their sources. However, the sources cited in the report included Danish government officials, as well as persons in Greenland and the US.The two other men were identified by the report as people who previously worked for Trump and have travelled regularly between Greenland and the US. The two sought to network with local politicians, businesspeople and citizens, the DR reported, adding that the sources expressed concern about these contacts being used to support a takeover attempt by Trump.Story continues below this adAlso Read | H-1B visa changes: Why Trump aides want to change H-1B visa programAccording to the report, the Trump administration had embarked on a three-phase strategy to take over Greenland – a charm offensive including sending Donald Trump Jr to the province, exerting direct pressure on Denmark, with US Vice President JD Vance travelling to Greenland and criticising Denmark. The report posits that the infiltration attempt is the third phase of this strategy.The Danish Police Intelligence Service (PET), which assessed the situation, told the DR that “Greenland, especially in the current situation, is a target for influence campaigns of various kinds.”Why the US wants GreenlandAmerican interest in Greenland is rooted in geostrategy. During World War II, the US invaded it just as Nazi Germany occupied Denmark. After the war ended, US President Harry S Truman in 1946 offered $100 million to Denmark for Greenland, after previously considering exchanging some portions of Alaska for parts of Greenland.In 1951, the US entered into a defence agreement with Denmark, allowing it the right to build and maintain military bases in Greenland. Thus, American forces remained in the region, building military broadcasting stations across the region.Story continues below this adFrom a military standpoint, Greenland’s location is significant, serving as a vital base of operations during the Cold War. The US operates the sprawling Pituffik Space Base (formerly the Thule Air Base) in the province. From Greenland, the US can monitor and prevent any missile coming towards it from Russia, China, or even North Korea. Similarly, it can launch missiles and ships towards Asia or Europe easily from Greenland. In recent years, China and Russia have reportedly scaled up their military capabilities in the Arctic, according to an Arctic Institute research paper.Greenland also has a vast repository of rare earth minerals, which are extensively used in mobile phones, electric vehicles and other consumer electronics, as well as in bombs and other weapons. China is currently the leading supplier of these minerals. In 2021, Greenland passed a law banning uranium mining.