Trump team discussed payments to Greenlanders to break from Denmark

U.S. officials discussed the possibility of offering one-off payments to residents of Greenland in an effort to persuade them to break away from Denmark and potentially join the United States, Reuters reported, citing sources.

The exact size of the payments and how they would be implemented remain unclear. Two sources told Reuters that officials, including White House aides, discussed figures ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person.

Earlier, The New York Times reported that the administration of Donald Trump was examining financial incentives for Greenlanders, including annual payments of about $10,000 per resident.

Reuters said the initiative illustrates how the United States might attempt to “buy” the island of roughly 57,000 people, despite repeated statements by authorities in Copenhagen and Nuuk that Greenland is not for sale. The approach, however, risks appearing overly transactional and even humiliating to the local population, the agency added.