The United States has discussed obtaining Greenland from Denmark since the 19th century. There were talks within the US federal government about purchasing Greenland in 1867, advocated by Secretary of State William H. Seward, and again in 1910. However, in 1916, the United States proclaimed their recognition of Danish sovereignty over all Greenland as a condition for their purchase of the Virgin Islands in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies. Since World War II, the US has had at least one military base in Greenland. In 1946, the US secretly offered to buy Greenland, but it was rejected by Denmark. Since 1949, Greenland has been under the protection of NATO, of which the US and Denmark are both members. Nevertheless, the Joint Chiefs of Staff proposed acquiring the island in 1955. In the 21st century, Donald Trump proposed acquisition of Greenland during his presidency.
The US has long seen Greenland as vital for the defense of its mainland, and former war plans listed Greenland as one of the territories the US would seize and fortify in a hypothetical war. 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 US military remained in Greenland after the war, and by 1948 Denmark abandoned attempts to persuade the US to leave. The following year, both countries became NATO members. A 1951 treaty gave the US a significant role in Greenland's defense and allowed it to have bases there. The US eventually shut all of its bases except for Thule Air Base (now Pituffik Space Base). While the US military often takes part in NATO exercises in Greenlandic waters, it has been warned that a US annexation of Greenland would effectively end NATO. Another oft-speculated motive for US acquisition of Greenland is to gain control of its natural resources.
In 2019, during his first presidency, Trump expressed his desire for the US to purchase Greenland; it was turned down and described as "absurd" by Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen. During his second presidency, since 2025, Trump has advocated American expansionism and has sought US control of Greenland. Following Danish refusals to sell the country, Trump continues to discuss U.S. annexation of Greenland, which would break international law. This triggered the Greenland crisis. Greenlandic and Danish authorities have publicly asserted Greenland's right to self-determination and stated that Greenland is "not for sale". The Greenlandic government stated that they choose the Danish Realm over the United States, 85% of Greenlanders oppose an American takeover, and many Danes see the historical ties with Greenland as an integral part of Danish national identity.
Overview of Greenland
Geography
Greenland is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean spanning 2,166,086 km2, roughly three times the size of Texas.
About 80% of the island is covered by the Greenland ice sheet, while the remaining 20% consists of mountainous, rugged and mostly barren coastal terrain. No roads link the 17 largest towns (where most of the population lives) because of the challenging landscape. The vast Greenlandic ice sheet is not safe to walk or drive over.
Political status
Greenland Self-Government Act, Chapter 8, Greenland's access to independence
21. (1) The decision on Greenland's independence shall be made by the Greenlandic people.(2) In case of such decision pursuant to subsection 1, negotiations are initiated between the government and Naalakkersuisut for the purpose of implementing independence for Greenland.(3) An agreement between Naalakkersuisut and the government on the implementation of independence for Greenland shall be made with the consent of Inatsisartut and shall be approved by a referendum in Greenland. Any agreement shall in addition be with the consent of the Danish Parliament.(4) Independence for Greenland entails, that Greenland assumes sovereignty over Greenland.
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 policy. The Danish Supreme Court is the final court of appeal.
Under Danish law, Greenlandic independence is possible based on the Self-Government Act of 2009, after a referendum in Greenland and approval by the Danish parliament. Others say that an amendment of the Danish Constitution is needed. Independence would transfer sovereignty from Denmark. The Greenlandic government declared in February 2024 that independence is its goal. Due to its status as a former colony, some commentators argue that under international law Greenland has right of self-determination and could make a unilateral declaration of independence.
The position of the Danish government is that it is up to Greenland to decide its own future, and that Denmark would respect a Greenlandic vote for independence. The Danish government reluctantly agreed in 2017 to finance two new airports, replacing potential Chinese investors, even though the investments sought by the island are viewed 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 Guðmundur Alfreðsson said that Greenland should consider Denmark one of several competitors for it, and that the US or Canada might provide more funding. Rasmus Leander Nielsen of the University of Greenland said that Greenlanders have discussed since the 1980s creating a compact of free association (COFA) with Denmark after independence, but that some have suggested a COFA with the US instead.
Defense
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, while in December 2024 it 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 Trump administration.
Alex Gray, United States National Security Council chief of staff during the first Trump administration, 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. The 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement allowed the United States to keep its three main military bases in Greenland—Thule, Narsarsuaq and Sondestrom—and to establish new bases or "defense areas" if deemed necessary by NATO. The agreement allows US troops to freely use and move between these bases. The US military has jurisdiction over the defense areas, but is not to infringe upon Danish sovereignty in Greenland. Since the agreement, the US has shut all of its military bases in Greenland except for Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base). The 2004 Igaliku Agreement stated that the US must inform Denmark and Greenland of any proposed changes (although formal co-determination is not required). Elian Morvane argued that, since the 1951 Defense Agreement already provides the United States with broad military rights in Greenland, the demand for formal sovereignty functions as a maximalist negotiating position aimed at securing concessions the treaty does not automatically grant—particularly rights over critical minerals and expanded military jurisdiction over bases. Under this interpretation, the rhetoric of ownership also serves as leverage over Greenland's trajectory toward independence from Denmark: a newly independent Greenlandic state would be a more accommodating interlocutor than an established NATO ally bound by European legal obligations. Any new US bases in Greenland would require the consent of Denmark (under the 1951 Defense Agreement) and the Greenlandic government (due to the 2009 Act on Greenland Self-Government). Greenlandic governments have said they would keep the country within NATO if Greenland becomes independent.
Economy
Even though Greenland's annual GDP in 2021 was $3 billion, 0.007% that of the United States, Greenland's GDP per capita was about 69% of the U.S. level. At the same time, Greenland's Gini coefficient for income distribution is around 0.34 according to CIA estimate for 2015, similar to many continental European countries and clearly in the "more equal" range, whereas recent U.S. Gini estimates for household income are about 0.47–0.48 and markedly more unequal than Greenland.
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. 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. 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. Greenland's working-age population is estimated to decline by 16% by 2040.
In 2016, it was reported that 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, so has little interest in its resources. 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. A 2014 report stated that replacing the Danish 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 subsidy for at least 25 years to maintain its welfare system. Minik Thorleif Rosing, one of the authors, in 2025 said that the situation had not changed: "Even if you had an unrealistically high rate of development of mineral resources, it would be unlikely to replace more than half the annual block grant from Denmark in any near future".
Although Greenlandic officials have approached dozens of Canadian and Australian mining companies, many are hesitant. The Kvanefjeld dispute may dissuade the American investors that the government also welcomes. Because of the lack of infrastructure, all mining projects are greenfield land and investors need to build new roads, ports, and power plants. As of March 2025 the island has only two active mines: one for gold that is being commissioned, and one owned by Lumina Sustainable Materials for anorthosite. A ruby mine closed in 2024 after bankruptcy. "Investing in Greenland is not for the faint of heart", CEO Brian Hanrahan of Lumina said, stating that the anorthosite mine was more complex than any of the 270 worldwide sites he oversaw at another job. Greenlandic governments have welcomed increased US interest and investment as long as it is respectful of sovereignty and Greenland's right to self-determination.
Claimed American goals of acquisition
The claimed American goals of acquiring Greenland are defensive and economic.
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.
Greenland is under the protection of NATO, of which the US and Denmark are both members. The US has free use of its Pituffik military base in Greenland, and a 1951 treaty allows the US to establish new bases in Greenland if deemed necessary by NATO. The US also takes part in regular NATO military exercises in Greenlandic waters.
Reuters described Greenland in October 2020 as "a security black hole" for the US 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. A potential security 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 gain independence from Denmark. Speaking in 2025, Rasmus Sinding Søndergaard of the Danish Institute for International Studies said that the US had legitimate security concerns in Greenland that Denmark had failed to adequately safeguard. Russia is much more capable of Arctic land warfare than the US, and Greenland may be vulnerable to invasion. The US sees Greenlandic airspace as vital to the air defense of North America. The US has demanded that Denmark provide better airspace surveillance over Greenland and a 2022 study by RAND suggested integrating Greenland into the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).