US weighs special status for Greenland as quest for island intensifies [View all]

Source: Reuters

Exclusive-US weighs special status for Greenland as quest for island intensifies

Gram Slattery, Valerie Volcovici and Steve Holland
Fri, May 9, 2025 at 1:56 PM EDT·4 min read

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials are discussing a plan to pull Greenland into America's sphere of influence using a type of agreement that the United States has used to keep close ties with several Pacific Island nations, according to two U.S. officials and another person familiar with the discussions.

Under the plan being considered, the Trump administration would propose to Greenland's leaders that the island enter into a so-called Compact of Free Association, or COFA, with the United States.

While the precise details of COFA agreements - which have only ever been extended to the small island nations of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau - vary depending on the signatory, the U.S. government typically provides many essential services, from mail delivery to emergency management to military protection. In exchange, the U.S. military operates freely in COFA countries and trade with the U.S. is largely duty-free.

President Donald Trump, who during his first administration floated the idea of acquiring Greenland, has pressed even harder since taking office in January, refusing to rule out taking the island by force. Denmark, which governs the island, has sharply rebuffed the idea.

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