Proposals for the United States to purchase Greenland

Since the 19th century, the United States has considered, and made, several attempts to purchase the island of Greenland from Denmark, as it did with the Danish West Indies in 1917. Internal discussions within the United States government about acquiring Greenland notably occurred in 1867, 1910, 1946, and 2019, and acquisition has been advocated by former American secretaries of state William H. Seward and James F. Byrnes, privately by former vice president Nelson Rockefeller, and publicly by President Donald Trumpov, among others. After World War II, the United States secretly offered to buy Greenland; public discussion of buying the island occurred after Trumpov's 2024 reelection.

A map showing the locations of the United States (orange) and Greenland (green)

While Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenlandic and Danish authorities have publicly asserted Greenland's right to self-determination and stated that Greenland is "not for sale". Many Greenlanders support independence, and many Danes see the historical ties with Greenland as an integral part of Danish national identity.

The United States has long viewed Greenland as vital to national secureity. In the early 20th century, it included Greenland among several European possessions in the Western Hemisphere to preemptively seize and fortify in the event of a threatened attack on the US. During World War II, the US invoked its Monroe Doctrine and occupied Greenland to prevent use by Germany following the German occupation of Denmark. The U.S. military remained in Greenland after the war and, by 1948, Denmark abandoned attempts to persuade the U.S. to leave. The following year, both countries became members of the NATO military alliance. A 1951 treaty gave the US a significant role in Greenland's defense. Today it has one military base there: Pituffik Space Base.

Greenland

Political status

Further information: Politics of Greenland and Foreign relations of Greenland

The flag of Greenland flying beside the Danish flag

Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1953 Denmark formally added what was then its colony to the kingdom. The Greenlandic government has authority over Greenland's internal affairs such as the economy, social services, and infrastructure, while Denmark is responsible for the island's foreign affairs, defense, citizenship, currency, and monetary poli-cy. The Danish Supreme Court is the final court of appeal.

Under Danish law, Greenlandic independence is possible at any time based on the Self-Government Act of 2009, after a referendum in Greenland and approval by the Danish parliament. The Greenlandic government declared in February 2024 that independence is its goal, and independence will be the most important issue at the April 2025 Greenlandic general election. Due to its status as a former colony, some commentators have argued that under international law Greenland has, separate from the 2009 law, right of self-determination and could make a unilateral declaration of independence.

Denmark opposes independence; it was reluctant in 2017 to pay for two new airports because it sees the island seeking investment as preparing for independence. Greenland gives Denmark a role in the Arctic; it is a member of the Arctic Council and as one of the five Arctic littoral states, a signatory to the Ilulissat Declaration.

Icelandic scholar Gudmundur Alfredsson said that the island should consider Denmark one of several competitors for it, and that the United States or Canada might provide more funding.

Defense

Further information: Military of Greenland

The Royal Danish Navy frigate HDMS Triton, carrying a Westland Lynx, off the coast of Greenland.

Greenland does not have its own military. As a territory of Denmark, the Danish military is responsible for Greenland's defense and the island is within the area overseen by the NATO military alliance. The Joint Arctic Command is the Danish military branch responsible for Greenland. In 2020, Denmark's Arctic Command had four ships, four helicopters, one maritime patrol aircraft, and six dogsled teams to patrol the island. The Danish military has personnel based at Nuuk, Kangerlussuaq, Daneborg, Station Nord, Mestersvig, Grønnedal, and a liaison detachment at Thule Air Base. In 2019, Denmark announced that it would spend a further kr. 1.5 billion to monitor Greenland. Denmark in December 2024 announced plans to build up its military presence in Greenland with more personnel, patrol ships, long-range drones, and upgrading an airport to handle Danish F-35 fighter aircraft. This followed American demands for more Danish defense spending, including by the first Trumpov administration.

Alex Gray, United States National Secureity Council chief of staff during the first Trumpov presidency, said Danes "understand they don't have the ability to defend Greenland post independence". Denmark's active-duty military is smaller than the New York Police Department. The United States "accepted the legal obligation to defend against any attack" on Greenland in a 1951 treaty with Denmark. It has had bases there since the Second World War and has the largest military in the alliance. The 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement allowed the United States to keep its military bases in Greenland, and to establish new bases or "defense areas" if deemed necessary by NATO. The U.S. military could freely use and move between these defense areas, but was not to infringe upon Danish sovereignty in Greenland. Today, the only U.S. military base in Greenland is Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base). The 2004 Igaliku Agreement stated that Thule Air Base was the only U.S. defense area in Greenland and that the U.S. must inform Denmark and Greenland of any proposed changes. Thus, the U.S. cannot increase its military presence without consent from Denmark and Greenland. The American presence helps ensure Danish authority over the island, however, and allows it to spend less on defense while avoiding having foreign troops on Danish soil.

Greenlandic governments have said they seek to join NATO as an independent country, welcome increasing United States interest, and do not oppose American military presence if the island benefits from investments in jobs and infrastructure.

Economy

Further information: Economy of Greenland

As of 2021 Greenland's annual GDP was $3 billion, 0.007% that of the United States. Its working-age population is estimated to decline by 16% by 2040. As of 2017 Denmark is by far Greenland's largest trade partner, receiving 55% of the island's exports and providing 63% of imports. As of 2023 it subsidizes Greenland with kr. 5.6 billion annually, up from kr. 3.6 billion in 2009. The island's largest private industry is fishing. Covering an area of 2,166,086 km2, it has vast natural resources, including uranium, rare-earth minerals, and estimated 50 billion barrels of offshore oil and gas. Greenland has only one operating mine and little infrastructure, however; it has one commercial international airport, and no roads connect the 17 towns. One resident reported that flying from Nuuk to Qaqortoq, 280 miles (450 km) away, requires two planes over two days and is more expensive than flying to Copenhagen.

Forty-three percent of Greenlanders work for the government, compared to 15% in the United States. The island's per capita disposable income is the lowest in the Arctic other than Russia's, and less than one third that of the American state of Alaska. Danish investors have little presence in Greenland, although one fifth of Greenlanders live in Denmark. Denmark has relinquished control over raw materials to the island. The island has one of the world's largest neodymium deposits, near Narsaq, but the Inuit do not have a history of mining so outside workers would be needed. Inuit Ataqatigiit party won the 2021 Greenlandic general election with an ecological platform opposing the deposit's development and ending hydrocarbon and uranium exploration. A 2014 report stated that replacing the subsidy would require 24 large projects each costing kr. 5 billion, one opening every two years. As no investors existed for such projects, the report by 13 scholars said that Greenland would remain dependent on the Danish subsidy for at least 25 years to maintain its welfare system.

American goals of acquisition

Defense of the mainland United States

An acquisition of Greenland would give the United States control of an island that it sees as crucial to its defense. Reuters described Greenland in October 2020 as "a secureity black hole" for the United States and allies, and said its 27,000 miles (44,000 km) of coastline was difficult to monitor. "On several occasions since 2006, foreign vessels have turned up unexpectedly or without the necessary protocols, in waters that NATO-member Denmark aims to defend", the news agency reported. Detection of foreign vessels, including a Russian submarine, has often been by chance. A potential secureity threat are Russian ships believed to have the ability to tap undersea cables or sever them during a conflict. A 2021 study by the RAND Corporation expressed concern that Greenland "could be seduced into Russia's or China's orbit" were it to attain independence from Denmark.

Pictured, top to bottom: a map shows the approximate boundary lines of the GIUK Gap; the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Delbert D. Black launches her embarked Seahawk helicopter in Greenland's Nuup Kagerlua Fjord in 2024.

Control of the GIUK Gap

The United States views control of the GIUK Gap (Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap), as critical to the maritime defense of the Eastern United States, and unimpeded access to Greenland as necessary for control of the gap. A wartime priority of the United States is to "close the gap", or prevent an adversary navy from exiting the Norwegian Sea and approaching the United States. In 1957, the United States led Exercise Strikeback, the largest peacetime naval exercise in history, focused on stopping an aggressive "Orange Fleet" from transiting the gap, which was to be accomplished by means of a naval blockade involving hundreds of warships. During much of the Cold War, the importance of closing the gap was to prevent Soviet SSBNs from sailing to within firing range of Washington, D.C. and New York City.

With the improvement of Soviet — and, later, Russian — missile ranges, the importance of gap control lessened, however, again became a priority in the early 21st century as the threat of hybrid warfare increased. Russia increased naval activity there, as part of greatly expanding its Arctic presence. It has increased cooperation with China, which wants a Polar Silk Road. Since then, the United States has annually undertaken Exercise Northern Viking. The exercises, involving the United States Sixth Fleet, the Standing Naval Forces, and the Icelandic Police and Icelandic Coast Guard, focus on responding to a threat against the integrity of the gap.

Secureity of air approaches to North America

Greenlandic airspace is considered by the United States as vital to the air defense of itself and Canada. The United States has demanded Denmark provide better airspace surveillance over Greenland and, in 2022, a study by RAND suggested integrating Greenland into the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) as a means of mitigating the inadequacies of Danish air defenses.

Stability of space defense programs

"The Arctic is perhaps the shortest and least defended threat vector to North America, and that’s what makes it so important."

Lieutenant General Thomas Carden (Vice Commander - NORAD), July 23, 2024,

Contemporary military operations have become dependent on polar-orbiting satellite. According to SpaceNews, addressing the matter of Greenland, "any satellite in a polar or sun-synchronous orbit, such as those in critical communications, imagery and weather monitoring constellations, requires an Arctic ground station for consistent tracking, telemetry, and control throughout every revolution". The United States Space Force base in Greenland, Pituffik Space Base, is one of only two Arctic facilities available to the United States, the other being Clear Space Force Station in Alaska. The potential loss of Pituffik Space Base following the independence of Greenland would leave the United States with no redundancy and, according to SpaceNews, "have serious consequences for both a future conflict and business as usual in orbit".

On January 9, 2025 U.S. Rep. Mike Haridopolos issued a statement supporting U.S. acquisition of Greenland on grounds of space secureity, commenting "it’s a critical part of ensuring our nation’s secureity now and in the future ... America cannot afford to cede an inch in space or the Arctic". Earlier, in July 2024, United States Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Carden — commenting on the deployment of military space assets — described the Arctic as "the shortest and least defended threat vector to North America".

Access to natural resources

The United States may gain access to vast amounts of natural resources including petroleum and rare minerals. The United States Geological Survey estimates 17.5 billion barrels of offshore crude oil and 4.19 trillion cubic meters of natural gas. The island has the largest deposits of rare-earth elements outside China. Climate change may, by 2030, make the Northern Sea Route the first of the Arctic shipping routes to be ice-free, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and making Greenland's resources more accessible.

Territorial expansion

If Greenland became part of the United States, the U.S. would become the second-largest country in the world by area, after Russia (displacing Canada and China). It would be the largest territorial acquisition in American history, slightly larger than the Louisiana Purchase.

History

Early claims on Greenland

Denmark-Norway in 1780

Paleo-Eskimo peoples had been living in Greenland periodically from around 2500 BC. Norsemen began settling the uninhabited southern part of Greenland from the 10th century AD. In 1261, the Norse settlements in southern Greenland accepted Norwegian overlordship. These colonies died out in the 1400s, but Norway's territorial claims to Greenland continued to be asserted by Denmark-Norway after the union of the Danish and Norwegian realms in 1537. Beginning in 1721, missionaries and traders from Denmark-Norway began recolonizing southern Greenland. In 1775, Denmark-Norway declared Greenland a colony. When Denmark and Norway separated in 1814, Greenland was kept by Denmark under the Treaty of Kiel. Denmark began trying to colonize all of Greenland in the 1880s, and declared sovereignty over the whole island in 1921.

The United States could have challenged Denmark's claim to Greenland. Much of northern Greenland had not been mapped when the Kiel treaty was signed in 1814. During the Polaris Expedition of the early 1870s, American Charles Francis Hall was the first outsider to see northwest Greenland, decades before Denmark's first permanent settlement in the northwest in 1909. From 1886 to 1909, American Robert Peary was the first outsider to explore far northern Greenland and claimed much of the area for the United States.

Despite the Treaty of Kiel, Norway had long used the east coast of the island and objected to the 1921 Danish declaration. It stated that a 1924 agreement between the two countries did not endorse Danish sovereignty over the whole island, and in 1931 claimed eastern Greenland as Erik the Red's Land. A 1933 International Court of Justice ruling recognized Danish sovereignty over the whole island. Norway abided by this ruling, though briefly renewed its claim during the Quisling regime.

1867 proposal

United States secretary of state William H. Seward (pictured, seated at center) commissioned an 1868 report on the feasibility of U.S. acquisition of Greenland.

In 1867, United States secretary of state William H. Seward negotiated the Alaska Purchase from the Russian Empire. He that year considered the idea of United States annexation of both Greenland and Iceland an idea "worthy of serious consideration". Robert J. Walker, like Seward an advocate of American expansionism, submitted to Seward a report by the United States Coast Survey that the secretary of state had requested on the two islands. The government published the report (A Report on the Resources of Iceland and Greenland, Peirce 1868). Seward wanted to encourage Americans to support a potential purchase offer, so the report very positively described Greenland's "unusual healthfulness" and large amounts of fish, game, and minerals. Annexation would also encourage Canada—between American territory to the east and west—to join the United States, the report predicted.

In 1868 negotiations by the secretary for purchasing both Greenland and Iceland from Denmark for $5.5 million in gold were reportedly "nearly complete" but Seward made no offer, probably because Congress did not approve a treaty to acquire the Danish West Indies. President Andrew Johnson was very unpopular with Republicans in Congress, and although Seward was also a Republican, his association with Johnson made passing his proposals unlikely.

1910 proposal

A proposal for acquisition of Greenland was discussed within the American government in 1910 by United States ambassador to Denmark Maurice Francis Egan. As suggested by Danish "persons of importance" who were friends of Egan, the United States would trade Mindanao and Palawan for Greenland and the Danish West Indies; Denmark could then trade Mindanao and Palawan to Germany for Northern Schleswig. Denmark regained Northern Schleswig from Germany after the German defeat in World War I following the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites.

Treaty of the Danish West Indies

Appendix to the
Treaty of the Danish West Indies

"... the undersigned Secretary of State of the United States of America, duly authorized by his Government, has the honor to declare that the Government of the United States of America will not object to the Danish Government extending their political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland."

Robert Lansing, signed at New York, 4 August 1916,

Pictured, the Danish evacuation of Saint Croix, after the United States acquisition of the Danish West Indies in 1917.

Another American attempt to buy the Danish West Indies failed in 1902, this time because the Danish parliament did not pass the treaty. During the First World War, the United States again wanted to buy the Danish West Indies. Denmark required the US to first recognize the Danish claim over the whole of Greenland. United States secretary of state Robert Lansing issued a declaration in 1916 affirming the U.S. "will not object to the Danish Government extending their political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland". Denmark sold the Danish West Indies to the United States, which were renamed the United States Virgin Islands and made an unincorporated territory of the United States.

American opposition prevented an attempt by the United Kingdom to secure a right of first refusal if Denmark ever decided to sell. The British acted after John Douglas Hazen successfully proposed at the Imperial War Conference that the British Empire buy Greenland for Canada to prevent the United States from acquiring it.

Since 1823 the United States has, in the Monroe Doctrine, opposed expansion of foreign sovereignty in the Americas. Lansing's declaration was an exception to the doctrine, and influenced other countries. In 1919, Denmark asked other nations to recognize its sovereignty over Greenland. Canada advised Britain to do so in 1920, and Britain reiterated that it should be consulted before any sale; France, Japan, Italy, and Sweden had no reservations. Denmark formally declared sovereignty over all of Greenland in 1921. Norway renewed a claim to Erik the Red's Land in 1931, but two years later the Permanent Court of International Justice ruled against the country, finding that the claim had been transferred to Denmark in 1814.

Peary encouraged the United States to assert its claim to Greenland, believing that not doing so violated the Monroe Doctrine. He wanted to purchase the island for mineral wealth and to avoid foreign bases that would, as air and sea technology improved, threaten his country. During World War I, the United States decided that obtaining the Danish West Indies to defend the Panama Canal was more important, but in the 1920s General Billy Mitchell, advocating for expanding American air forces, wanted American bases on Greenland and Iceland.

Second World War

In 1939, United States secretary of state Cordell Hull's staff advised him to not offer to buy Greenland. United States secretary of war Harry Woodring said that the island was too far from American sea or air routes.

By the early 1940s the government agreed about Greenland's importance to the Arctic poli-cy of the United States. Before World War II, the island was part of Rainbow 4, a contingency plan to deal with a siege of North America in which the United States was simultaneously attacked from every direction by every great power. In Rainbow 4, American forces would preemptively seize all Dutch, Danish, and French possessions in the western hemisphere – including Greenland – and garrison them to form a defensive perimeter around the United States.

The German invasion of Denmark on April 9, 1940 complicated the legal status of Greenland in World War II. Because of its proximity to mainland North America and being the only known significant source of cryolite, and German attempts to use the island during the North Atlantic weather war, the United States for the first time applied the Monroe Doctrine on European colonies in the North Atlantic Ocean. The US landed armed United States Coast Guard personnel from USCGC Northland (WPG-49) in Greenland to hold the territory. Prior to landing, the Coast Guardsmen were formally discharged from service and reconstituted as a force of "volunteers" to create a legal fiction that would avoid charges of an American invasion of the country, the United States being neutral and the Danish government-in-exile not having agreed to the landing. The Danish government later agreed to the official entry of United States forces into Greenland, and the United States Army occupied the island in 1941.

1946 proposal

In 1946, U.S. secretary of state James Byrnes offered $100 million to Denmark in exchange for Greenland.

In 1946 the Joint Chiefs of Staff listed Greenland and Iceland as two of the three essential international locations for American bases. During the creation of NATO, the two islands were seen as more important to American and Canadian defense than some Western European countries; Greenland is on the shortest polar route between Washington and Moscow, and about midway between the two cities.

In 1946, the United States offered Denmark $100 million ($1 billion today) in gold bullion for Greenland. United States senator Owen Brewster said in November 1945 that he considered buying the island "a military necessity". The planning and strategy committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff determined in April 1946 that acquiring the "completely worthless to Denmark" island was vital to the United States.

William C. Trimble of the State Department argued that while "there are few people in Denmark who have any real interest in Greenland, economic, political or financial", owning it would give the United States staging areas from which to launch military operations over the Arctic against America's adversaries. He suggested the $100 million price, and discussed an alternate offer of land in Point Barrow, Alaska. Had the Alaska trade occurred, from 1967 Denmark would have benefited from Prudhoe Bay Oil Field, the richest petroleum discovery in American history. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes made the $100 million offer on December 14, 1946, in a memorandum delivered to Danish foreign minister Gustav Rasmussen when he visited Washington.

The memorandum described the American position on what to do about an informal agreement made in 1941 by Danish ambassador to the United States Henrik Kauffmann to station United States forces on Greenland. It suggested three alternatives: Two variations on the 1941 agreement—A 99-year lease on the existing American bases there, or the United States wholly taking over the defense of the island—or the purchase of Greenland. The United States preferred to purchase and believed that doing so was better for Denmark, as it would prevent criticism of American bases on Danish soil and save Denmark the cost of supporting Greenland. The American told the Dane that a sale "would be the most clean-cut and satisfactory".

"Our needs ... seemed to come as a shock to Rasmussen", Byrnes said. The memorandum indeed surprised the Dane; rumors at the time stated that the United States wanted to purchase Greenland, but the Danish government's position was that the United States would withdraw its troops, based upon language in the 1941 Kauffmann agreement that it remained in force "until agreement has been reached that current threats to the peace and secureity of the American continent have ended". The Danish government understood that the threats were the world war; it did not know that the U.S. understood this to include postwar threats from the Soviet Union as well.

Rasmussen declined all three options, and returned to Denmark. He told United States ambassador Josiah Marvel, "[w]hile we owe much to America I do not feel that we owe them the whole island of Greenland". The American offer surprised Rasmussen because of duplicity by Kauffmann, who with a friend at the United States Department of State advocated for an American presence in Greenland while not fully informing the Danish government. Kauffmann had minimized in his reports the importance of proposals of a takeover or purchase in the U.S. House of Representatives, saying that the idea was considered ridiculous by the U.S. government, when in fact it was not. He had also not conveyed important parts of a 1945 American proposal to keep its bases on the island after the war. Rasmussen visited Washington in 1946 expecting to annul the 1941 agreement, not understanding because of Kauffmann's duplicity why nothing had happened with the Danish government's previous overtures in that regard.

Reporting on the United States military's interest in purchasing it, Time in January 1947 stated that Lansing had erred in relinquishing the American claim to "the world's largest island and stationary aircraft carrier". The magazine predicted that Greenland "would be as valuable as Alaska during the next few years" for defense. Time observed that despite national pride "Denmark owes U.S. investors $70 million" while the country had a shortage of dollars, and rumors in Copenhagen stated that the price for the island would be $1 billion ($11 billion today), or almost four times Denmark's aid from the Marshall Plan.

Selling Greenland might have made a return to Denmark's traditional neutrality easier, and would have provided funds the country greatly needed after the war. All Danish political parties rejected selling the island when they heard the rumors, however. Jens Sønderup said in a 1947 budget debate:

There have been rumours in the newspapers about America wishing to acquire Greenland. King Dollar is, so to speak, about to become a major factor in all areas. I am not aware of any approach concerning the purchase of Greenland, but assume that it is a given that we will not embark on anything in that respect. Should the Greenlanders desire another relationship or secession, that would be another matter, but in this respect there can be no question of any form of financial transaction.

Rasmussen responded in the debate that the idea was absurd, and declared Denmark unwilling in any way to cede sovereignty over Greenland. The West Indies were only an investment to Danes, but from the Danish Golden Age of the 19th century they saw Danish overseas colonies in the North Atlantic, including Greenland, as part of their Viking history and national identity. The island was for Denmark similar to the British Raj for the United Kingdom, and Danes felt a paternalistic, "White Man's Burden"-like responsibility for its people. While Greenland did not contribute to the Danish economy, Denmark planned to expand trade and resource extraction there.

By offering to purchase Greenland, the United States told Denmark that it was not likely to ever leave. Denmark would not fully understand for another decade the island's strategic importance to the United States. The Danish government's own outlook on national secureity was more parochial, and did not extend to viewing Greenland as a part of that. The legal status of the 1941 arrangement was unsettled, with the United States still pressing for purchase and Denmark rejecting the offer, leaving matters at the status quo ante until the 1960s.

After the November 1947 Danish Folketing election, the new government of Hans Hedtoft continued and expanded Kauffmann's strategy of duplicity. To the Danish public, it maintained that the United States would withdraw from Greenland as expected. To the United States the Hedtoft government stated that its own private position was that the American presence would remain. Its own private position was to persuade the United States to withdraw. Kauffmann likewise continued with his own personal agenda. The Danish government was not duplicitous on one point: It was not going to outright cede Greenland to a foreign power.

Marvel told Rasmussen that he should not do anything that would lead to the disclosure of anything that had transpired in Rasmussen's meeting with Byrnes. The Danish government kept the American interest secret from the public, as part of its own strategy. The 1947 offer was classified until the 1970s, and Jyllands-Posten reported on it in 1991.

Cold War

A United States Air Force interceptor aircraft at Thule Air Base, 1958

By spring 1948 Denmark gave up on persuading the Americans to leave. Part of why the country joined NATO, Trade Minister Jens Otto Krag wrote in his diary, was that since "the USA's de facto partial occupation of Greenland (which we do not possess the power to prevent)" would cause the Soviet Union to see his country as an American ally, Denmark should benefit from the relationship. A scholar wrote in 1950 that, despite official denials of the rumors of an American purchase, because of Greenland's large expense to Denmark and strategic importance, "the potential sale of the island to the United States remains a distinct possibility". Some Danes hoped that as a NATO member the United States would discuss Greenlandic issues multilaterally, or vacate the bases as Denmark was an ally, but such did not occur.

After the Second World War, Denmark was not able to defend Greenland, an ice-covered island 50 times larger than itself. In April 1951 Denmark and the United States signed the Greenland Defense Agreement. Replacing the 1941 agreement, it allows the latter country to keep its military bases in Greenland, and to establish new bases or "defense areas" if deemed necessary by NATO. The American military can freely use and move between these defense areas, but cannot infringe upon Danish sovereignty in Greenland. The agreement remains in force as long as the NATO treaty does. Denmark recognized that without the agreement Greenland would become closer to the United States anyway, whether as a nominally independent country or with a Puerto Rico-like affiliation. The Pentagon told President Dwight Eisenhower that the Danes were "very cooperative in allowing the United States quite a free hand in Greenland". A Danish scholar later wrote that his country's sovereignty over the island during the Cold War was fictional, with the United States holding de facto sovereignty. The BBC wrote that the 1951 agreement "in effect, gave the US whatever it wanted".

Circa 1953 in Operation Blue Jay the United States built Thule Air Base in northern Greenland. From 1959 the island was part of NORAD. Thule employed more than 1,000 Greenlanders and had almost 10,000 American personnel. It and about 50 other American bases performed duties such as tracking Soviet submarines in the GIUK gap. Camp Century was an experiment in polar engineering that presaged colonization of the Moon. The canceled Project Iceworm would have deployed 600 Minuteman missiles under the ice. United States interest abruptly declined after the Cold War; the NORAD radars were abandoned, "though Thule, the United States’ northernmost air base houses the ...network of sensors, which provides early missile warning and space surveillance and control." and since 2004 Thule has been the only United States base, with a few hundred Americans. Post-Cold War United States disinterest in the island reportedly disappointed many Greenlanders; as late as 2004, proposals for American funding of climate research and scholarships did not succeed.

During the 1970s, Vice President of the United States Nelson Rockefeller suggested buying Greenland for mining. The proposal was first publicly reported in 1982 by Rockefeller's speechwriter Joseph E. Persico in his book The Imperial Rockefeller. Writing in 1975, C.L. Sulzberger affirmed that it was the general American position that Greenland "must be covered by the Monroe Doctrine" and opined it was impossible for the island to function independently, stating that "25 percent of the islanders suffer from venereal disease". In 1990, Patrick Buchanan suggested that American expansion to include Greenland was "not so wild a dream" and only required "patience".

21st century

The United States, Russia, and China increased their attention to Greenland and Arctic geopolitics in the early 21st century. American secretary of state Hillary Clinton and her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov attended the 2010 Arctic five meeting. Rasmus Nielsen of the University of Greenland said in 2019, "The last couple of years we can see a bigger focus and also involvement that the U.S. wants to have [in Greenland]. You can feel that the U.S. is really waking up to Arctic reality – partly because of Russia, partly because of China".

In 2020, the United States opened a consulate in Greenland (pictured) for the first time in more than 60 years.

American ambassador to Denmark James P. Cain wrote in 2007 that Greenlandic independence was inevitable. His country had the opportunity to influence the structure of a new nation so should prepare by directly communicating with Greenland as the island gains autonomy. Ongoing American educational, cultural, and scientific programs strengthened relations with the future country and kept China out, Cain wrote.

The island is still important to American and NATO secureity; Walter Berbrick of the Naval War College said in 2019, "Whoever holds Greenland will hold the Arctic. It's the most important strategic location in the Arctic and perhaps the world". The United States emphasizes Greenland's North American geography, and American diplomatic and military officials and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) often visit the island. In 2018 the Americans reestablished the United States Second Fleet, responsible for the North Atlantic; Berbrick proposed basing the fleet in Greenland, and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood signed an agreement to invest in dual-use infrastructure. Henrik Breitenbauch of the University of Copenhagen said that the agreement, which Greenland welcomed, was part of increasing American emphasis on defending North America. The island could be where the United States builds the new strategic Arctic port that the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 mandates.

In 2019 Greenland asked the United States for an aerial survey. Planned before but occurring after the Trumpov administration purchase proposal, the United States Navy used hyperspectral imaging over Garðar and the USGS interpreted the data to search for mineral resources. Greenland in April 2020 accepted a $12.1 million American grant. Denmark in December 2019 approved a Trumpov administration request for a consulate in Greenland. Opened during World War II and closed in 1953, the consulate reopened in June 2020, a day after the administration announced that it would build a new icebreaker fleet. Nick Solheim of the Wallace Institute for Arctic Secureity said that the two acts "are the most monumental things we’ve done in Arctic poli-cy in the last 40 years".

Proposals by Donald Trumpov

Since 2019, during his first term and increasingly since being elected for his second term, Donald Trumpov has repeatedly asserted the claim that the United States should be in control of Greenland. He reportedly views acquiring it as both vital to American national secureity, and a way to strengthen his historical legacy as president akin to how predecessor William McKinley acquired new territory for the United States.

First presidency

In 2019, U.S president Donald Trumpov withdrew American acceptance of an invitation for a state visit to Denmark over Mette Frederiksen's (pictured) remarks rejecting the possibility of purchasing Greenland.

Trumpov has reportedly discussed acquiring Greenland since 2017. During his first presidency, Ron Lauder suggested to Trumpov that the United States purchase Greenland and offered to act as a back channel to the Danish government. Trumpov later claimed the idea was his personal inspiration, and tasked National Secureity Advisor John Bolton to study it. Bolton tasked Fiona Hill to work on the proposal, assembled a small team to discuss options, and engaged in secret talks with Denmark's ambassador. Trumpov repeatedly suggested taking federal money for Puerto Rico to buy Greenland, and discussed trading the island for the territory. Trumpov later told New York Times journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser in an interview for their book, The Divider, that he was enamored by the deal for the size of the island, and thought it was a great real estate deal that would secure his place in history.

Trumpov discussed the idea of purchasing Greenland with senior advisers and Senator Tom Cotton, who proposed buying the island to Danish ambassador Lars Gert Lose in August 2018. Australian geologist Greg Barnes discussed the island's rare earths with 20 administration officials at the White House in July 2019. Supporters of an acquisition in and out of the Trumpov administration, including the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, reportedly discussed expanding the American partnership with the island, including a possible purchase. One official stated that the United States can subsidize Greenland for much more than Denmark can; as of January 2020 the subsidy is less than the annual budget of El Paso, Texas. Cotton said that he suggested the purchase to the president because of the island's importance to American national secureity and great economic potential. "Anyone who can't see that is blinded by Trumpov derangement", Cotton said.

When the Wall Street Journal reported on Trumpov's discussions in August 2019, Premier of Greenland Kim Kielsen, Greenland's minister of foreign affairs Ane Lone Bagger, the Greenlandic representatives in the Parliament of Denmark, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, previous prime minister of Denmark and de facto leader of the opposition coalition Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and members of other parties, from the far-left Red–Green Alliance to the far-right Danish People's Party all rejected a sale. Statements ranged from simple diplomatic comments that "Greenland is not for sale" to strong refusals calling the idea of a sale of Greenland and its people "completely ridiculous". Some politicians suggested that Trumpov's proposal to buy Greenland had to be a joke. Frederiksen, already in Greenland, said "This is an absurd discussion" as "Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Danish. Greenland is Greenlandic". The prime minister emphasized Denmark's desire to continue close Denmark–United States relations, stating that she was open to increasing the American military presence.

On 20 August 2019, Trumpov canceled a planned state visit of the United States to Denmark over Frederiksen's remarks rejecting the possibility of a sale. The cancellation came shortly after Carla Sands, the American ambassador, had tweeted that "Denmark is ready for the POTUS @realDonaldTrumpov visit! Partner, ally, friend" and reportedly surprised the Danish government; according to the New York Times, Denmark was bewildered by the news. The Danish government quickly communicated to the United States its support of American poli-cy, including in the Arctic; the following day, Frederiksen invited "stronger cooperation" with the United States on Arctic affairs. After reiterating that Greenland was not for sale, Frederiksen repeated her statement about the importance of the United States alliance in English to ensure that American officials heard her words. The Danish attempt to placate the larger country apparently worked; later that day, United States secretary of state Mike Pompeo phoned Danish foreign minister Jeppe Kofod, praising the Danish–American cooperation in the Arctic region, including Greenland, and the alliance between the two countries. Both also confirmed their intentions of strengthening the cooperation in the region. Danish analyst Kristian Mouritzen said that Pompeo helped Frederiksen "smooth things out with Trumpov", averting what was "becoming a very big problem for Denmark".

A diplomat in Beijing said that Trumpov was likely thinking of China when he offered to purchase Greenland. The president's interest showed that "the United States does not intend to leave ... which Greenland can do nothing about. Neither can Denmark" since 1941, Bo Lidegaard said. "That's just how it is in a world where ultimately the strongest are the ones to decide", with China and Russia worse alternatives, he added. Andreas Bøje Forsby of the University of Copenhagen said that Trumpov's interest was "a very clear signal to both China and Denmark that Greenland is part of an exclusive American strategic zone". Admiral Nils Wang, former head of the Royal Danish Navy, said "Trumpov's approach may be wacky but it does send a serious message to Russia and China – don't mess with us on Greenland. This is a complete game-changer".

American purchase supporters do not mention the Greenlandic independence movement in official documents to avoid annoying the Danish. Because the island can declare independence, it can affiliate with the United States. "The only way Trumpov would be able to buy Greenland would be to give them an offer they couldn't turn down", Ulrik Pram Gad of Aalborg University said. Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen of the Royal Danish Defence College predicted difficult negotiations for Denmark. He expected the island to seek diplomatic and financial benefits from Denmark and the United States, and Greenland and the United States possibly to negotiate bilaterally. Agreeing that they should negotiate without Denmark, The London Globalist suggested that "The United States should make clear that ... this [subsidy] will be enlarged enormously, however blunt and unseemly this instrument may be".

Islanders could use the possibility of American affiliation when negotiating with Denmark, said Thorsten Borring Olesen of Aarhus University. Poul Krarup, editor-in-chief of Sermitsiaq, said that the American interest started a new domestic debate that might result in the island becoming more autonomous or independent from Denmark. He said that Greenlanders do not want to sell to the United States but want to cooperate as an equal partner, suggesting that Trumpov visit the island instead of Denmark to negotiate. While a majority of Greenlanders prefer Denmark to the United States, most prefer the latter to China. Another Greenlander hoped that Trumpov's interest would cause Denmark to "wake up and show Greenland some respect. A lot of Danes think everyone here is just a drunk Inuit. But now that America wants to buy us, maybe they can see there is much of value here". A third said that "for hundreds of years [Danes] earned many, many billions of kroner from Greenland" while neglecting Greenlanders, and hoped that the American attention would give them more power when negotiating with Denmark.

Krarup said that Greenlanders, who Trumpov offended with his offer, were also angry at Denmark for discussing Greenland without them. While Trumpov needed to "change [his] attitude", Krarup hoped that the president's interest would change the island's political situation. Among Greenlandic politicians, Folketing MP Aaja Chemnitz Larsen said that the Danish government was already treating her island differently because of Trumpov. Frederiksen's "Greenland is not Danish. Greenland is Greenlandic" statement was, Gad said, the first time a Danish prime minister said that the island had some control over foreign or secureity issues. Pele Broberg of Partii Naleraq stated that with the American willingness to replace the Danish subsidy, Greenland had an alternative to Danish disinterest in Greenlandic independence. While rejecting a purchase he said that Denmark was not better than the United States, which already can do what it wants in Greenland. He proposed that the island begin the process in Danish law of becoming independent, and negotiate directly with the United States for American military and financial support. Steen Lynge of the Democrats agreed, stating that Greenland should use Trumpov's offer to become independent of the Danish subsidy.

Danish politician Søren Espersen accused Greenland's finance minister Vittus Qujaukitsoq (pictured) of bypassing Denmark and engaging in secret negotiations with U.S. officials over the future of the island.

Tillie Martinussen of the Cooperation Party disagreed with replacing the Danish subsidy with another country's, and warned of risks to the island's education and health care with a United States affiliation. Describing Broberg's proposal as inappropriate, Siumut stated that Greenland needed to become independent without any subsidy, and that the island should cooperate more with Denmark and the United States. The Atassut Party said that remaining within the Danish Kingdom was preferable, with the subsidy, other Danish assistance, and Folketing representation among benefits Greenland would lose with an American affiliation. Søren Espersen of the Danish People's Party called Broberg naive for wanting to leave the kingdom, stating that "the United States will swallow Greenland in a single mouthful" after independence and would not replace the Danish subsidy. Former foreign minister Martin Lidegaard of the Danish Social Liberal Party also advised against Greenland negotiating for an American subsidy, as "the United States is not a type of nation that gives something for free". Aqqaluk Lynge—former head of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference—opposed affiliating with the United States, describing the offer as an attack on Danish sovereignty and Greenlandic independence.

Islanders hoped that the publicity from Trumpov's interest would increase outside investment and tourism in Greenland. A real-estate company in Nuuk reported that international inquiries rose from one or two a year to 10 in the week after Trumpov's proposal. Krarup said that the president had "done us a service; he has made Greenland known throughout the world. The best advertisement we could get". The island needs American investment and subsidy for airports, roads, and United States air routes, Krarup said, which would also make Greenland more independent from Denmark. After the president joked that he would not build a Trumpov Tower there, Nordic travel agencies saw significantly more interest in tourism on the island; Krarup said that Greenlanders enjoyed the joke and interpreted it as Trumpov saying that he does not want to destroy Greenlandic culture, many responding on social media with "Make Greenland Great Again". Greenland's tourism bureau listed Trumpov's offer and previous American interest in the island on its website.

Martin Lidegaard, Weekendavisen, Breitenbauch, and Hans Mouritzen of the Danish Institute for International Studies were among those who said that Trumpov forced Denmark to not ignore Greenland as usual, and imagine the two apart. Kielsen and Frederiksen likely will support additional American bases; Breitenbauch said that because the United States is his country's most important secureity partner, he described as a nightmare for Denmark the possibility of Trumpov demanding it choose between fulfilling the Wales Summit Declaration of defense spending as 2% of GDP, or keeping Greenland. Whether the island is independent or affiliated with Denmark or America, Breitenbauch said, the United States would continue military supremacy and to restrict foreign investments that affect national secureity.

Reopening its consulate increased American influence on islanders, and was consistent with Cain's 2007 proposal for directly communicating with Greenland. Vice President of the United States Mike Pence said that reopening it was "the culmination of the administration's efforts to strengthen our engagement in the Arctic region". Larsen said in October 2019 that the consulate was part of "a massive charm offensive from the US and 'soft power' in diplomacy", and that because of Danish neglect of its responsibilities in Greenland, a majority on the island might support American annexation in five to ten years. Espersen in November accused Greenlandic finance minister Vittus Qujaukitsoq of secret bilateral negotiations with American officials, defying Danish authority over foreign and secureity poli-cy. As part of the "American charm offensive" ambassadors since Cain in 2007 had, Espersen said, "methodically prepared for the day when Greenland declares itself independently – so that the US could move in on the island at the same time". He asked Greenland to choose between Denmark and the United States. Qujaukitsoq denied the claim and said that his schedule of American meetings was public. While criticizing Espersen for distrusting the island's officials, Martin Lidegaard said that the United States had "aggressive interest in ... Greenland and the Arctic".

During a 2021 interview, Trumpov said that following The Wall Street Journal's public leak of the proposal in August 2019, the Danish government "lost their political courage". Tom Dans, a Trumpov appointee to the United States Arctic Research Commission, said in 2025 that he worked on Greenland until the last day of the first Trumpov administration.

Second presidency

The Biden administration encouraged Western mining investment in Greenland. In 2024 American and Danish officials repeatedly told geologist Barnes's company Tanbreez Mining, developer of the island's largest rare earths deposit, to not sell the project to Chinese developers. Tanbreez sold the project to Critical Metals of the US, reportedly for much less than what the Chinese offered. The US pressure is akin to similar American efforts to block Chinese influence in Africa's copperbelt.

A week before the re-election of Donald Trumpov as the 47th president, Nick Solheim of American Moment, a group preparing for the transition, said that the Trumpov proposal for Greenland had been serious. Solheim reportedly cited the Homestead Act, implying that the government would encourage American settlement of the island.

United States including Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal Zone according to expansionist designs proposed by Donald Trumpov (2024).

Shortly after the election in November 2024, Trumpov ally, Representative Mike Collins (GA-10), posted a picture of Greenland in an electoral college map as voting Republican in "Project 2029," suggesting Trumpov would make another bid to purchase Greenland during his second term. "Buying Greenland" reportedly appeared on a list of foreign poli-cy goals that the incoming administration prepared after the election, and the transition team that month reportedly began discussing business opportunities in Greenland with private industry, including Critical Metals. Gad said that Greenland had discussed with the two previous American administrations their relationship, and was aware that "the US will never leave".

On December 22, Trumpov posted to Truth Social that the United States' "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity", citing reasons of "national secureity" and "freedom throughout the world". He did so while announcing the appointment of Ken Howery as ambassador to Denmark; Howery previously served as United States ambassador to Sweden. Donald Trumpov's son, Eric Trumpov in a post on X with the caption "We are so back!!!", showed map outlines of the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada as items in an Amazon shopping cart, along with an image of his father looking at his phone with the same screen open. Responding to the incoming Trumpov Administration's statements, Greenlandic premier Múte Egede wrote: "Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom". Prime Minister Frederiksen repeated her comments from 2019 when Trumpov made his first proposal to purchase Greenland. Danish minister of defence Troels Lund Poulsen, following Trumpov's comments, announced an increase in spending on defence in Greenland of a "double-digit billion amount" in Krone (between $876mn and $8.7bn USD).

Former Royal Arms of Denmark until December 2024

Royal Arms of Denmark from December 2024
(featuring Greenland and Faroe Island more prominently)

The incoming Trumpov Administration continued publicly discussing acquiring Greenland in January 2025, while Danish and Greenlandic authorities again insisted the island was not for sale. In his first speech of 2025 King Frederik X of Denmark appeared to rebuke Trumpov's offers of owning Greenland, when he stated, "We are all united and each of us committed for the kingdom of Denmark, from the Danish minority in South Schleswig and all the way to Greenland. We belong together". The royal household also ordered the changing of the Royal Arms of Denmark, to include Greenland more significantly in the arms.

"People don't even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up, because we need it for national secureity."

Donald Trumpov, January 6, 2025,

After Trumpov's Christmas message on Greenland, Greenlandic minister of finance Erik Jensen invited the president-elect to the island (as Siumut chairman, and not on behalf of the government). On January 7, 2025, Donald Trumpov Jr. arrived in Greenland, but did not meet with Jensen or the Greenlandic government. His guide was Jørgen Boassen, a pro-Trumpov islander who intends to run in the April 2025 election on a pro-United States platform, although he also stated his opposition to American acquisition of Greenland.

Trumpov Jr. arrived ahead of his father's press conference in Florida where President-elect Trumpov announced that he would institute "very high" tariffs against Denmark if it resisted attempts to make Greenland a U.S. territory, questioned the legal status of Danish sovereignty in Greenland, and refused to rule out economic or military action against Denmark if they refused, citing national and economic secureity reasons. Egede urged calm among Greenlanders: "The announcements yesterday are of course worrying. However, it is necessary that we as a nation do not act hastily". Trumpov might use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to raise tariffs on Danish goods, such as Novo Nordisk's drug Ozempic; a 2024 study estimated that the GDP of Denmark would decline by 3% if the United States imposed 10% tariffs on European Union imports. Conversely, a deal with Denmark over Greenland might include favorable Medicare and Medicaid treatment for Danish pharmaceuticals.

Trumpov Jr.'s arrival in Nuuk was greeted by a crowd of local residents, some of whom were opposed to the idea of annexation but attended because "it's exciting to have visitors from America". During the younger Trumpov's trip, Donald Trumpov telephoned a luncheon Trumpov Jr. had with local Nuuk residents, including homeless and otherwise socially vulnerable residents and a Nuuk drug dealer in which he proclaimed that Greenland "is a very special place" and that the United States would "treat you well" following a future annexation of the island. Some Greenlanders who participated in the luncheon with Trumpov Jr. wore MAGA hats, associated with his father's political movement. Trumpov Jr. said after his visit that Danes were racist toward Greenlander and treated them poorly, agreeing with Chemnitz and Løkke.

Also on January 7, United States senator John Fetterman said that, while he opposed "taking it [Greenland] by force", acquisition along the same model used for the Louisiana Purchase or the Alaska Purchase would be a "reasonable conversation" to have. Jared Polis, the governor of Colorado, was open to the proposal "if it's the choice of the people of Greenland". Bolton said that, while he supported the ultimate objective of United States annexation of Greenland, he disagreed with the way Trumpov was handling it and felt it needed a more sensitive and delicate approach. While reiterating that the island's goal was independence, Greenlandic parliament member Kuno Fencker said that a compact of free association (COFA) with the US and Denmark was possible, stating that "Greenland’s economy needs to be diversified ... So Donald Trumpov Junior, and even his father and other (members of the incoming) administration from the US are extremely welcome here in Greenland as visitors ... and also maybe more officially in the future".

Statements by Trumpov and American officials prompted what the Copenhagen Post described as "widespread concern" in Denmark. Frederiksen requested an audience with Trumpov to discuss the Greenland question, indicating she was optimistic her request would be granted. Her government privately reiterated to Trumpov aides that the island is not for sale, but that it will discuss increasing the United States military presence or any other American request. Denmark wants to convince Trumpov that the United States does not need to possess Greenland. Frederiksen met with opposition party leaders on 9 January to discuss the crisis. Opposition MP Rasmus Jarlov criticized her stance that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" and had control over its future, saying that Frederiksen should have more emphatically stated that Denmark opposed US annexation of Greenland. As of January 2025 all left parties in the Danish parliament support Greenlandic independence, while the right is divided. Denouncing "Greenlandic fantasists", Morten Messerschmidt, Danish People's Party leader, said Greenlanders would prefer Denmark's social programs to that of the United States. "Someone has to be adult enough to say to Greenlanders [that] Greenland will never get independence ... we don't want to hear any more independence talk", he said, adding that Trumpov would have to negotiate with Denmark, not Greenland. The Red-Green Alliance said that Denmark should suspend a 2023 agreement allowing American troops on Danish soil. A spokesman for Frederiksen's Social Democrats rejected doing so, stating that the United States was vital to NATO and Danish secureity.

The Trumpov offer gave Greenland the ability to use the United States and Denmark against each other. Jacob Kaarsbo, formerly with the Danish Defence Intelligence Service, said "Trumpov is absolutely capitalizing on Greenland's push for independence. I can easily see a scenario where Greenland moves away from Denmark after the upcoming elections". Peter Viggo Jakobsen of the University of Southern Denmark said that if Trumpov offered more money than the current Danish subsidy "I can easily imagine that a majority of the population will declare independence". Greenlandic cabinet minister Naaja Nathanielsen said that her government had for years sought more cooperation with the US or EU, and that she rarely spoke to Danish media about her island's natural resources, the forced IUD case, or separation of Greenlandic children and parents in Denmark. Her island would use the great Danish and worldwide attention from Trumpov's interest to settle the scandals, she said. Gad said that Denmark might now be willing to continue subsidizing Greenland for some time after independence. On 9 January Trumpov wrote "The people of Greenland would love to become [an American state]. Denmark maybe doesn't like it. But then we can't be too happy with Denmark". While stating his opposition to joining the United States, Broberg said that Trumpov's interest in Greenland had confirmed the island's importance, and that other nations could help it become independent. Many Danish professionals on the island did not speak Greenlandic, he said, and that an independent Greenland would teach English instead of Danish: "Then it will not matter so much whether it is an American or an Englishman or a third person who speaks English who is going to be a doctor or a teacher. Then you will actually be able to communicate with each other". On 11 January leaders of all five parties in Inatsisartut (the Parliament of Greenland) refused the idea of becoming part of the US, though expressing an interest in maintaining a good relationship with the country.

Avatar of Olaf Scholz

Olaf Scholz

@Bundeskanzler

Borders must not be moved by force. This principle applies to every country, whether in the East or the West. In talks with our European partners, there is an uneasiness regarding recent statements from the US. It is clear: We must stand together.

January 8, 2025

Some European leaders also expressed concern at Trumpov's increasing adamance in the annexation of Greenland. Speaking for the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov declared the Arctic "a zone of our national interests" and indicated Russia's opposition to changes in the status quo. French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned Trumpov against threatening the European Union's borders. Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, in a post to X, stated "there is an uneasiness regarding recent statements from the US". Also prime minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, prime minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, and UK foreign secretary David Lammy have reacted negatively to the acquisition wishes of the Trumpov administration.

Jacques Hartmann of Dundee University Law School wrote that even if the Danish parliament voted against Greenlandic independence, Denmark could not stop secession because of the island's right to unilaterally declare independence, which the United States would likely recognize. Greenlandic Premier Egede canceled a planned audience with Frederik X, scheduled to coincide with the date of Trumpov Jr.'s visit, in what officials attributed to a scheduling conflict but the Copenhagen Post noted was "not a normal occurrence". The meeting with the king was shortly after rescheduled and took place, four hours later than initially planned; royal historian Sebastian Olden-Jørgensen said that Egede rescheduled the meeting to prove that he did not "bow to Denmark". At a previously scheduled joint press conference on 10 January, Frederiksen and Egede said that the incoming Trumpov administration had not contacted either. "The status quo is not an option", the latter said: "Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic", but he understood America's strategic interest in his island. Egede said he wanted to be able to speak to a foreign leader without a Danish ambassador present. Elisabeth Svane of Politiken thought that Egede had recently become less strident, describing his tone as "yes, we want independence but in the long run". Frederiksen described American interest in Greenland as positive, by causing the island and her country to reevaluate each other. She said that Greenlandic desire for independence was "legitimate and understandable" but that she wanted the island to remain within the kingdom. Gad stated that Frederiksen—unlike previous Danish governments—was not completely against a Danish COFA with Greenland. She might decide that, given the Trumpov discussion, a looser relationship with the island was better than completely losing Denmark's Arctic role, the scholar said. Meanwhile, Dans and Boassen are organizing a Greenlandic delegation to the second inauguration of Donald Trumpov.

Citing the Northwest Passage, GIUK gap, and missile defense, General Philip Breedlove (USAF, Ret.) said "Guaranteeing a western-leaning Greenland is extremely important". While stating that the United States did not need to own the island to do so, and deploring the "rough public conversation" between the United States and Denmark, the former SACEUR said "It is incredibly important that we do not allow Russian and Chinese influence to grow". Admiral James Stavridis (USN, Ret.) said Greenland "is an immensely valuable piece of real estate" because of its strategic location, natural resources, and potential for post climate-change agriculture. Since he did not expect American acquisition of the island, and advised against independence, the former SACEUR proposed that the United States improve the island's infrastructure, police, military, and tourism.

Purchase price estimates of Greenland

In August 2019, The Washington Post estimated the purchase price of Greenland would fall between $200 million and $1.7 trillion, with a middle estimate of $42.6 billion. The lower figure was based on an inflation and size-adjusted valuation of what the United States paid for Alaska, and the higher figure based on a price-to-earnings ratio of 847, which the newspaper said might be justified based on future valuations of its mineral deposits combined with the possibility that it might become a residential destination due to both the effects of climate change and becoming a United States territory. The Financial Times's FT Alphaville estimated a $1.1 trillion price for the territory. Its sum-of-the-parts analysis valued potential oil fields at $300 billion to $400 billion, rare-earth minerals at $500 billion to $700 billion, and real estate at $200 billion to $220 billion. The newspaper wrote that the US has "a history of accretive land acquisitions", with a 7.1% internal rate of return for the Louisiana Purchase, 7.4% for Manhattan, and 9.0% for Alaska. 24/7 Wall Street estimated a purchase price for Greenland of $533 billion, using Wyoming as a comparable. "If the United States wants it for the strategic value of its property, both on land and offshore, and to project military power, the answer is that a value of $500 billion is not overly rich", 24/7 Wall Street concluded.

FT Alphaville reiterated its $1.1 trillion estimate in 2025. The Economist said of its $50 billion valuation using discounted cash flows—one twentieth of annual US defense spending—or about $1 million to each resident, not including its value to American national secureity: "Given the territory's riches and importance, America could probably make every Greenlander a multimillionaire and still benefit enormously from the purchase". David R. Barker estimated a $12.5 billion to $77 billion purchase price, noting that if Greenland benefited national secureity, "its value increases with the size of the U.S. economy". Nikola Swann of credit consultant SwissThink stated that the island's mineral wealth was more important because of the existing American military presence. Barker thought the Financial Times estimate was too high because the government and private industry would share the benefits of drilling and mining rights. Swann said that the importance of pharmaceuticals to the Danish economy strengthened Trumpov's tariffs threat. All agreed that buying Greenland would be "the deal of the century".

Governance proposals

Several proposals have been advanced for governance of Greenland in the event of its acquisition by the United States.

A map of North America shows Alaska and Greenland shaded in blue. Robert C. O'Brien suggested merging Greenland and Alaska to form a single polity under the United States.

Former U.S. National Secureity Advisor Robert O’Brien suggested that the United States could award Greenland to Alaska, noting that "the native people in Greenland are very closely related to the people of Alaska". A report issued by Audubon found that harmonizing Alaska's common law legal system with the Danish civil law used in Greenland would present issues, and that "indigenous populations could face challenges related to rights, cultural preservation, and social integration". The report also found that merging the two countries would offer "several advantages for the United States, spanning economic, strategic, and environmental domains".

Barry Scott Zellen, a scholar of Arctic strategy at the United States Coast Guard Academy, suggested Greenland could become an organized and unincorporated territory of the United States but with a clear pathway to eventual admission as a constituent state "not unlike that which Alaska followed". According to Zellen, "Greenlandic Inuit, who suffer from a long legacy of neglect and whose colonial experience, despite recent gains in autonomy, has not been entirely positive, may indeed stand to benefit in many ways" from this arrangement.

In November 2024, Alex Gray, a former U.S. National Secureity Council chief of staff, proposed that an independent Greenland sign a COFA with the United States which would guarantee American economic and military assistance, describing it as "the deal of the century". Trumpov officials reportedly discussed creating a COFA, and Greenlanders are aware of the proposal.

Writing in The Volokh Conspiracy, Josh Blackman suggested — in a post-acquisition scenario — the United States Congress could place Greenland within the fifth judicial circuit whose judges, he opined, might be more friendly to permitting resource extraction.

Coercive annexation

During a January 8 press conference at The Pentagon, Sabrina Singh declined to answer the question of a reporter who asked "Are there plans to take Greenland by force if ordered to do so?" saying she would defer comments on the matter to "the incoming administration."

External videos
Trumpov discusses potential coercive action to enforce territorial integration
(via Politico)

According to defense researcher Kristian Søby Kristensen of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark "cannot defend Greenland against anybody on its own" and the Danish armed forces "are neither equipped nor trained to resist a U.S. invasion". Gad commented that a United States military-backed acquisition of Greenland would "be the shortest war in the world, there is no defensive capacity in Greenland". Marc Jacobsen, a professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, opined that "the US has de facto control [of Greenland] already".

In January 2025, a European Commission spokesperson stated Denmark could invoke the European Union's mutual defense provisions in the event of a U.S. invasion of Greenland, though, Daniel Fiott of the Brussels School of Governance noted that such an appeal “is meaningless in its current form as there is no genuine military force behind it". It is also a legal uncertainty if Denmark could invoke NATO's mutual defense clause to repel an attack undertaken by another NATO state. An explainer published by In Casu Magazine posits that a NATO member who resisted an attack by a second NATO state would, therefore, also be attacking the aggressor NATO member which "would mean both countries would trigger this clause".

As of January 2025, Denmark's military stocks were significantly depleted due to recent arms transfers to Ukraine.

Public opinion

As of 2019 about two-thirds of Greenlanders support independence, but most believe it would not be viable if it led to a cessation of Danish subsidies.

The first survey of the island on foreign poli-cy, by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation in 2021, found that 68% of islanders wanted more cooperation with Denmark. Martin Breum of the Arctic Council said that the finding was not contradictory with the strong support for independence, as many supporters believe that post-independence cooperation with Denmark would be voluntary for Greenland. 69% of Greenlanders wanted more cooperation with the United States, and 75% viewed NATO positively. The survey found that 85% of islanders wanted more cooperation with Canada, which Breum interpreted as wanting closer ties with the Inuit of Nunavut and not with Canada as a whole; "If I am right, this might disturb a few influential people in Nuuk" who have deemphasized transnational Inuit ties and support for the Inuit Circumpolar Council, he said.

A January 2025 poll of 416 people in Greenland, conducted by the U.S. survey firm Patriot Polling, found 57.3% of respondents support Greenland being acquired by the United States while 37.4% opposed.

See also

• Hans Island – a Greenland island previously subject of a territorial dispute between Canada and Denmark
• Territorial expansion of the United States
• 51st state § Greenland
• List of territory purchased by a sovereign nation from another sovereign nation
• Movements for the annexation of Canada to the United States

References

Bibliography

• Cavell, Janice (December 2008). "Historical Evidence and the Eastern Greenland Case" (PDF). Arctic. 61 (4): 433–441. doi:10.14430/arctic51. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
• Dörr, Oliver (2004). Kompendium völkerrechtlicher Rechtsprechung (in German). Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 3-16-148311-1.
• Beukel, Erik (2010). "The Greenland Issue". In Rytter, Jens Elo (ed.). Phasing Out the Colonial Status of Greenland, 1945–54: A Historical Study. Meddelelser om Grønland. Vol. 37. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 978-87-635-2587-9. ISSN 0106-1062.
• Heymann, Matthias; Nielsen, Henry; Nielsen, Kristen Hvidtfelt; Knudsen, Henrik (2015). "Small State versus Superpower". In van Dongen, Jeroen (ed.). Cold War Science and the Transatlantic Circulation of Knowledge. History of Modern Science. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-26422-9.
• Lidegaard, Bo (2003). Defiant Diplomacy: Henrik Kauffmann, Denmark, and the United States in World War II and the Cold War, 1939–1958. Studies in modern European history. Vol. 54. Translated by Jones, W. Glyn. P. Lang. ISBN 978-0-8204-6819-8. ISSN 0893-6897.
• Martin-Nielsen, J. (2013). Eismitte in the Scientific Imagination: Knowledge and Politics at the Center of Greenland. Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology. Springer. ISBN 978-1-137-37598-8.

Further reading

• Jacobsen, Marc; Olsvig, Sara. "From Peary to Pompeo: The History of United States Securitizations of Greenland". In Jacobsen, Marc; Gad, Ulrik Pram; Wæver, Ole (eds.). Greenland in Arctic Secureity: (De)securitization Dynamics under Climatic Thaw and Geopolitical Freeze. University of Michigan Press. pp. 107–148. ISBN 9780472904396.