Editor's Note: This assessment is part of RANE's ongoing series analyzing the geopolitics of natural resources and raw materials, which will be published periodically throughout the remainder of 2026; previous installments of this series can be found here . Greenland's vast critical mineral resources offer the United States and Europe a path to diversify supply chains away from China, yet material constraints will keep most projects uneconomical and only marginally productive for years. The pace and scale of development will ultimately depend on the resolution of the dispute over U.S. demands on the island. Interest in Greenland's mineral resources has risen considerably over the past decade. President Donald Trump has revived a long-dormant U.S. claim to the island, calling control vital to national security and increasingly tying that interest to critical minerals.