Washington is preparing to offer Greenland a deal that US President Donald Trump compared to a major real estate deal, The Economist reports. It is about the possibility of concluding a Compacts of Free Association (COFA).
The US has similar agreements with several small nations in the Pacific. They provide for exclusive access of the US military to the territorial waters and airspace of the partners, depriving other countries of this right. In exchange, the United States provides economic and financial assistance.
Denmark, whose autonomous territory is Greenland, points out that the island already hosts a U.S. military base, and the current agreement with Copenhagen does not limit the number of U.S. military personnel, although its significant increase is likely to require the consent of the Danish authorities.
According to the publication, U.S. officials have tried to start direct talks with the Greenland government but have been rebuffed. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Trump’s remarks about wanting to take control of Greenland should be taken seriously.
“If the US decides to carry out a military attack on another NATO country, everything stops. Including NATO and therefore the security that has been in place since the end of World War II,” Frederiksen said.
Trump’s claim to Greenland is not new to the world. As far back as his first cadence in the White House, he spoke of his willingness to buy the largest island on the planet from Denmark, offering it $600 million annually.
Before his next inauguration in 2025, the US president-elect did not even rule out the use of military force to control the island. The European Union responded with statements about the inadmissibility of attacking its sovereign borders.