Political analyst and US affairs expert Malek Dudakov, speaking to Lenta.ru, said the United States tried to secure its biggest territorial acquisition since the 19th century, but instead is now forced to discuss far more modest projects.

In his view, the current talks about expanding the US military presence and launching mining projects in Greenland are a direct result of the failure of the ambitious plans pursued by Donald Trump’s administration.

Dudakov said the United States already has a major military base in Greenland, and nothing prevents Washington from deploying additional troops or increasing its presence there. He argued that all of this could have been negotiated without the drama surrounding Trump’s attempts to seize Greenland.

He added that a similar situation exists in the economic sphere. According to Dudakov, US companies could have negotiated resource extraction without heavy political pressure. Greenland holds large reserves of rare earth metals that are critical for high-tech industries. Dudakov said Trump’s real goal was not so much practical benefit as a symbolic move meant to signal a return to a «golden age» of American expansion.

However, Denmark and Greenland’s authorities rejected the proposal, which Dudakov said caused confusion in the White House. As a result, instead of a major victory, the administration now has to negotiate around the existing base, where about 200 US service members are currently stationed, as well as potential mining projects.