U.S. officials have discussed sending payments to Greenlanders as part of an attempt to convince them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the U.S., according to four sources familiar with the matter.
While the exact amount and logistics of any payment are unclear, U.S. officials, including White House aides, have discussed amounts ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person, said two of the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The idea of paying directly to residents of Greenland, an overseas territory of Denmark, offers an explanation for how the U.S. could have 57,000 residents, despite the insistence of authorities in Copenhagen and Nuuk that Greenland is not for sale.
This tactic is among several plans being discussed by the White House for the acquisition of Greenland, including the possible use of American military forces.
But it risks appearing overly transactional and even degrading to a population that has long debated its own independence and its economic dependence on Denmark.
“Enough! Enough fantasies about annexation,” wrote Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen in a Facebook post on Sunday (4), after US President Donald Trump once again told journalists that the.
European leaders react
Leaders in Copenhagen and across the country have reacted dismissively to comments from Trump and other White House officials who have asserted their right to Greenland in recent days, especially given that the U.S. and Denmark are NATO allies bound by a mutual defense agreement.
On Tuesday (6), France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and Denmark issued a joint statement, stating that only Greenland and Denmark can decide on matters related to their relations.
Asked about discussions for the purchase of the island, including the possibility of direct payments to Greenlanders, the White House referred Reuters to statements made by press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday (7).
During a press conference, Leavitt acknowledged that Trump and his national security advisers were “looking at what a possible purchase could look like.” Rubio said he would meet with his Danish counterpart next week in Washington to discuss Greenland.
The Danish embassy declined to comment, and Greenland’s representative office in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.
Discussions about Greenland
Trump has long argued that , including the wealth of minerals needed for advanced military applications. He also stated that the Western Hemisphere, in general, needs to be under Washington’s geopolitical influence.
While internal deliberations over how to seize Greenland have been going on among Trump’s aides since before he took office a year ago, there was renewed urgency after his administration captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in a weekend raid, according to sources familiar with the internal deliberations.
One source said they were eager to build on the momentum of the operation against Maduro to achieve Trump’s other long-standing geopolitical goals.
“We need Greenland from a national security standpoint, and Denmark will not be able to do that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
One of the sources familiar with the White House deliberations said internal discussions about one-time payments were not necessarily new.
However, this person stated that they have become more serious in recent days, and advisors were considering higher amounts, with a payment of US$100,000 per person, which would result in a total payment of almost US$6 billion, being a real possibility.
Many details of any potential payments were unclear, such as when and how they would be distributed if the Trump administration chose that route, or what exactly would be expected of Greenlanders in return.
The White House has said military intervention is possible, although officials have also said the U.S. would prefer to buy the island or acquire it through diplomatic means.
Free association agreement
Among the possibilities being considered by Trump’s advisers, according to a White House official said on Tuesday, is the attempt to sign a type of agreement with the island called the Pact of Free Association.
The precise details of the agreement, which has so far been extended only to the small island nations of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau, vary by signatory.
But the U.S. government generally provides many essential services, such as mail delivery and military protection. In return, the US military operates freely in signatory countries, and trade with the US is largely tax-free.
Agreements of this type have already been reached with independent countries, and Greenland would likely need to separate from Denmark for such a plan to be implemented. In theory, payments could be used to encourage Greenlanders to vote for independence or join an agreement after a vote.
Although polls show that an overwhelming majority of Greenlanders want independence, concerns about the economic costs of seceding from Denmark, among other issues, have prevented the majority of Greenlandic lawmakers from calling a referendum on independence.
Polls also show that the majority of Greenlanders, while open to seceding from Denmark, do not want to be part of the US.
