The administration of the US President Donald Trump is discussing the idea of direct payments to the residents of Greenland to convince them to leave Denmark and join the United States.
Reuters reports this, citing sources.
According to the agencyʼs sources, Washington is talking about amounts ranging from $10 000 to $100 000 per person. If the maximum payment is made, it will cost the United States almost $6 billion.
The idea with money is just one option. The White House is also discussing diplomatic agreements and does not rule out the option of using force, although officially they say they prefer a peaceful path.
One of the people Reuters spoke to said that internal discussions about lump sum payments were nothing new, but they had become more serious in recent days.
In December 2024, Donald Trump declared that “possession and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for US national security. He had said he was interested in purchasing the island during his first term as president. He has since reiterated his desire to acquire the island.
Following Trumpʼs statement, Denmark decided to significantly increase defense spending on the island and also changed the royal coat of arms to make it more prominently represent Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Back in December, the chairman of the Danish parliamentary defense committee Rasmus Jarlov ridiculed Trumpʼs claims about buying Greenland. He said that Denmark is growing rapidly, while the United States is in debt, so Denmark will soon be able to buy US states, and he himself has always admired the American states of Hawaii and New Hampshire.
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