Newly elected US President Donald Trump has shown that he has an eye on new routes emerging from the North Pole by requesting Greenland from Denmark.
As a result of global warming, alternative routes for cargo transportation from China to Northern Europe are becoming more valid. The route, which heads north from China, passes through the Bering Strait and then runs east to west along the northern coast of Russia, reaching the Netherlands. Putin has been requesting Alaska for two years for this route called the Northern Sea Route (NSR). The NSR route has the potential to work with intermediate stops, which include Russian Arctic ports like Vladivostok, Tiksi, or Murmansk.
In response to this request, which aims to take complete control of the Bering Strait, Trump made an unexpected move. Trump requested that Greenland, which is part of Denmark, be connected to the US. This request is closely related to the Trans-Arctic Route, which crosses directly over the Arctic, passing near Greenland and into the North Atlantic before reaching Europe. It is often covered by thick ice for most of the year. The Trans-Arctic Route passes through slightly more difficult conditions. Ports near Greenland, such as Nuuk, may serve as emergency stops but are not typically commercial hubs for such routes. On the other hand, the route is slightly shorter than NSR but it is uncertain how long it would take to cross the region.
