An ASX-listed mineral exploration company seeking to develop a rare earth mine in Greenland has hired lobbyists in Washington DC and former diplomats in Denmark and Australia as it navigates a complex and volatile situation.
Energy Transition Minerals says its Kvanefjeld Project has the potential to become the Western world's largest producer of rare earth minerals.
The minerals are crucial for electronics and electric vehicles that have come into focus as the US tries to break China's production stranglehold.
Kvanefjeld is located in southern Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory that US President Donald Trump is threatening to seize, "whether they like it or not".
Development of Kvanefjeld has been effectively blocked since 2021, when a socialist government came to power in Greenland after campaigning against the project, which had been given preliminary approval by the previous government.
Australia's Energy Transition Minerals has commenced litigation against Greenland's government with a tribunal in Copenhagen, claiming the mine was unlawfully put on hold through a retrospective law.
That lawsuit is progressing, with a first hearing yet to be scheduled in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, ETM managing director Daniel Mamadou told AAP.
Mr Mamadou said everyone had been shocked by the US's approach towards Greenland, and he expressed hope the welfare of its 57,000-strong population could be maintained and improved.
He added, however, that senior politicians in Greenland had publicly stated in 2025 that they wanted closer ties with communist China, including a trade deal.
"So you know, for every action, there is a reaction," Mr Mamadou said.
"The world order that we've known seems to be changing."
The controversy with the US has created a lot of noise, and Melbourne-based ETM has seen that reflected in the volatility of its share price, he said.
"I don't find it surprising, because the Kvanefjeld project really sits at the intersection of geopolitics and critical minerals and capital because we're a publicly listed company," he said.
Mr Mamadou declined to be drawn on the foreign policy drama.
Asked if he had any message for Mr Trump, the managing director said he had a message for Greenland's Ministry of Raw Materials.
"Which is, let's sit down, have a dialogue, find a negotiated path to the statement of application process," he said.
"We are flexible, we can adjust, we can adapt. We can address every single concern that has been raised in the public consultation period.
"So let's work together to find a win/win solution."
Earlier in January, ETM appointed Washington lobbying firm Ballard Partners as strategic advisors.
The company also added a pair of Danish senior diplomats to its advisory board in the hope of creating more channels of communication than just legal ones.
In 2025, it brought on board former Australian foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop.
Mr Mamadou said the goal was to help the company navigate the situation.
"We are miners, we are business people. We have that perspective, but we feel we can benefit from perhaps a different angle," he said
The US has been basically borrowing a page from China's playbook by taking direct stakes in rare earth miners such as MP Minerals, the main US producer, Mr Mamadou said.
"We really consider ourselves as a Western champion for the supply chain of critical minerals. That's how we want to be positioned," he said.
And for investors, he said ETM offered "probably the most asymmetric, risk-adjusted return investment opportunity in the current times".
On Friday afternoon, ETM shares were trading at 16 cents, up 60 per cent since the start of the year, giving the company a market capitalisation of $300 million.
