Greenland government officials, who have previously stayed silent on the issue, have now directly responded to Trump's publicized interest in buying the ice-covered island. The foreign minister of the semi-autonomous area of the Kingdom of Denmark mentioned on social media that the island is definitely not for sale.
US President Donald Trump reportedly asked White House officials to approach Greenland politicians to explore the possibility of outright buying the entire 811,000 square mile island. Trump apparently wanted to know if it was possible to purchase the island and what resources would be usable.
Some White House officials reportedly dismissed the president's request as nothing more than a passing idea, whiles others were seriously considering the economic potential of such an acquisition.
Following the spread of the news that Trump was interested in buying the island, Greenland politicians had responded and unanimously shot down the possibility of a sale. A spokesman for Greenland's Premier Kim Kielsen mentioned in an interview in the US that Greenland was definitely not for sale. However, the spokesman mentioned that the country was open to forging partnerships and good cooperation with the United States.
A post on Twitter by Greenland's official tourism account also mentioned much of the same sentiment. In the post, the account advertised everything the island had to offer and mentioned that it is open for business, but it is definitely not for sale.
Trump's interest in acquiring the island, which has a population of around 58,000 people, is definitely not the first time the US has attempted such a move. In 1946, US President Harry Truman offered the Kingdom of Denmark $100 million to outright by the island covered mostly by ice and glaciers.
Unfortunately, Denmark did not accept President Truman's offer during that time. The US did have a number of successful acquisitions in the past. In 1917, the US successfully purchase a number of islands from the Dutch, which eventually became the US Virgin Islands.
While the island may mostly be barren and covered in ice, the potential resource it offers is actually quite substantial. Apart from its fishing grounds, renewable energy locations, and tourist attractions, Greenland does offer other more lucrative resources such as oil and uranium ore. The island in the North Atlantic is also near strategic shipping lanes. Since the melting of some of the Arctic ice in the region, more areas are also now available for energy exploration.
Trump is currently scheduled to visit the Kingdom of Denmark next month. However, it is not yet clear if his planned purchase of the country's territory will be part of his official itinerary.
