Can Trump buy Greenland?

US President-elect Donald Trump says he wants to make Greenland a part of the United States, renewing an interest first expressed in 2019 when he offered to buy the sprawling Arctic island from Denmark - and was rebuffed.The mostly ice-covered island of just 57,000 people, which boasts vast mineral resources and is strategically important for the US military, has been a part of Denmark for over 600 years.
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede, who recently has stepped up a push for independence from Denmark, has repeatedly said the island is not for sale and that it is up to its people to decide their future.
“While others, including Danes and Americans, are entitled to their opinions, we should not be caught up in the hysteria and let external pressures distract us from our path,” Egede said yesterday.
The island, a former colony of Denmark, became a formal territory of the Nordic kingdom in 1953 and is subject to the Danish constitution, meaning that any change to its legal status would require a constitutional amendment.
In 2009, the island was granted broad self-governing autonomy, including the right to declare independence from Denmark through a referendum. In 2019, both Greenland and Denmark rejected Trump’s offer to buy the island. When Greenland was still a colony, the US under then-president Harry Truman sought to buy the island as a strategic asset during the Cold War for $100mn in gold, but Copenhagen declined to sell.
If Greenland becomes independent, it could choose to become associated with the United States.
While the majority of Greenlanders want independence, few see full independence as viable given their economic dependence on Denmark, which is part of the affluent European Union.
One option could be to form a so-called “free association” pact with the United States, similar to the status of Pacific island nations Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.
“Greenland is talking about becoming independent from Denmark, but no Greenlanders want to just switch to a new colonial master,” said Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher and expert on Greenland at the Danish Institute for International Studies.
He finds it unlikely Greenland will vote for independence without ensuring the welfare of its population.
Last week, Egede urged the people of Greenland to break free from “the shackles of colonialism” and shape their own future.
Greenland has strategic significance for the US military and its ballistic missile early-warning system since the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the Arctic island.
The US military maintains a permanent presence at the Pituffik air base in Greenland’s northwest.
The United States has expressed interest in a greater military presence, including placing radars in Greenland to monitor the waters between the island, Iceland and Britain that are a gateway for Russian navy vessels and nuclear submarines. Greenland is geographically part of the North American continent, and it is vital for the United States to avoid any other major powers establishing a foothold on the Arctic island, according to senior researcher Ulrik Pram.
The island, whose capital Nuuk is closer to New York than the Danish capital Copenhagen, also boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth, but development has been slow.
Greenland has banned extraction of oil and natural gas for environmental reasons, and development of its mining sector has been snarled in red tape and opposition from indigenous people.
This has kept Greenland’s economy reliant on fishing, which accounts for over 95% of exports, and annual subsidies from Denmark, which cover roughly half of the public budget.
In total, Denmark spends just under $1bn each year on Greenland.
An independence movement has gained traction in Greenland in recent years. A majority of Greenland’s inhabitants support independence, but are divided over the timing and potential impact on living standards.
Greenlandic politicians have since 2019 repeatedly said they are interested in strengthening cooperation and trade with the United States.
“Our future and fight for independence is our business,” Egede said.
Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, said the idea of a US takeover should be firmly rejected. “I don’t want to be a pawn in Trump’s hot dreams of expanding his empire to include our country,” she wrote.
The renewed interest comes amid heightened tensions between Greenland and Denmark, following revelations of historical misconduct by the former colonial ruler.
Trump’s 2019 offer to buy the island was firmly rejected by Denmark, a close Nato ally of the United States, and labelled as “absurd” by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
When asked about Trump’s renewed interest yesterday, Frederiksen said: “We need very close co-operation with the Americans.”
She added: “On the other hand, I would like to encourage everyone to respect that the Greenlanders are a people, it is their country, and only Greenland can determine and define Greenland’s future.”