Trump revives Greenland gambit, tasks top diplomat with purchase plan

President Donald Trump has reignited his controversial ambition to bring Greenland under US control, directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to prepare a formal proposal to purchase the Arctic island. The renewed push—estimated to cost up to $700 billion—has alarmed European allies, drawn resistance from Denmark and Greenland’s leaders, and sparked debate in Washington over strategy, sovereignty, and security in the Arctic, NBC reports.

The estimate—equivalent to more than half of the Pentagon’s annual budget—has fueled unease across Europe and on Capitol Hill, particularly amid Trump’s increasingly assertive rhetoric about Greenland. Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, is not for sale, and officials in both Copenhagen and Nuuk have firmly rejected Trump’s assertion that the United States would acquire the island “one way or the other.”

Despite this opposition, a senior White House official confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been directed to prepare a proposal to purchase Greenland in the coming weeks, describing the effort as a “high priority” for the president. Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are scheduled to meet with Danish and Greenlandic officials in Washington, following earlier talks with the White House National Security Council.

“I’d love to make a deal with them,” Trump told reporters on January 11. “It’s easier. But one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”

Greenlandic officials reiterated their stance ahead of the meetings. “Greenland does not want to be owned by, governed by or part of the United States,” Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said upon arriving in Washington. “We choose the Greenland we know today — as part of the Kingdom of Denmark.” Business and mineral resources minister Naaja Nathanielsen said the US messaging has created intense pressure at home, adding, “This is really filling the agenda and the discussions around the households.”

While some Trump administration figures have floated the possibility of military force, other officials see a negotiated outcome—such as a purchase or a compact of free association—as more plausible. Such an arrangement, similar to US agreements with Pacific island nations, could grant Washington expanded security access in exchange for financial assistance at a lower cost than an outright purchase.

Greenland already hosts a US military presence at Pituffik Space Base, a key early-warning installation. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said it is “possible to find a way to ensure stronger footprints in Greenland” for the US military, but warned that any attempt to seize the island by force would threaten NATO unity.

European allies have echoed that concern, stressing in a joint statement last week that “Greenland belongs to its people” and that they will continue to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

By Vafa Guliyeva