This article was written and published by TjekDet
Barely had the calendar turned to 2026 before the US president, Donald Trump, once again voiced his need to buy Greenland for reasons of national security.
Since then, Danish and international media have written extensively about reactions from politicians and various scenarios.
Several American media report that the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has told members of Congress that Donald Trump’s wish is first and foremost to buy Greenland from Denmark.
Marco Rubio does not elaborate on how a purchase could be carried out in practice, or what the price would be.
“Negotiate a deal while we still have something to negotiate with. Take the money and build bridges all over Denmark,” the author Ryan Smith writes in Politiken.
The call to sell Greenland can also be found on social media.
Here it is argued, among other things, that the money from the sale could improve conditions for the elderly and create a better healthcare system.
There is thus a perception that Denmark can get money for selling Greenland.
But according to Frederik Harhoff, professor emeritus of international law at the University of Southern Denmark, it is not at all possible “constitutionally” for Denmark to sell Greenland on its own.
For that reason, it makes no sense to speculate about how much money Denmark could get for selling Greenland, he points out.
Greenland’s independence is decided by Greenlanders
A sale of Greenland can only come into consideration if Greenland leaves the Realm of the Kingdom.
And only then, Frederik Harhoff stresses.
“An isolated sale of Greenland is not technically possible unless Greenland first withdraws from the Realm of the Kingdom in accordance with the procedure set out in section 21 of the Self-Government Act. It is a procedure that will take a long time, because there are a great many conditions that need to be negotiated,” he says.
The same point was made by Miriam Cullen, who is an associate professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen, to TjekDet back in January 2025, when we examined whether it is possible for Denmark to sell Greenland.
“You cannot sell Greenland, where people live and have self-government. The Self-Government Act makes it very clear that a decision on Greenland’s independence must be made by the people of Greenland,” she said.
Greenland gets the money
But what if we set aside the independence process and imagine that Greenland has left the Realm of the Kingdom?
If Greenland ends up doing so, Denmark no longer has any influence in Greenland, and Greenland is therefore completely free to decide its future.
“After that, they can offer themselves for takeover by the United States. This can either happen through a purchase, where Greenland of course gets the money, or it can happen via some kind of association agreement,” says Frederik Harhoff.
A so-called free association agreement is entered into by two independent states – for example Greenland and the United States.
Typically, the more powerful state will have a security policy interest in the agreement, as Donald Trump has in Greenland.
In return, the powerful state will pay money to the less powerful state.
Such a constellation can be seen, for example, in the Marshall Islands, which have a free association with the United States.
The same applies to the Cook Islands in relation to New Zealand.
“In other parts of the world, a colonial power has let go of a colony, which has become independent and stands on its own feet. But they still support the now independent state and its people, because there is an ongoing cultural and social connection between them. So they continue to have these good relations. That is entirely possible,” Miriam Cullen told TjekDet in January 2025.
This is how Greenland becomes independent
First and foremost, a referendum must be held in Greenland before Greenlanders can break away from Denmark.
Next, the Greenlandic government, Naalakkersuisut, will begin negotiations with the Danish government on leaving the Realm of the Kingdom.
In principle, the two governments could also negotiate an agreement before Greenlanders have voted in favour of breaking away from Denmark.
But when an agreement is in place between the two governments, Naalakkersuisut must go to the Inatsisartut in Nuuk and discuss the agreement.
If they agree, Greenlanders must vote on the agreement in a referendum.
The Danish parliament, the Folketing, must also, in accordance with the Constitution, vote the agreement through.
This means in practice that Denmark can prevent Greenland from becoming independent.
According to section 19 of the Constitution, Denmark must give its consent to Greenlanders’ secession.
However, it is highly unlikely that the Folketing would oppose Greenlandic independence after the Danish and Greenlandic governments have presumably spent several years negotiating the agreement.
Moreover, Denmark would run into problems with international law, says Miriam Cullen.
“At an international legal level, Greenland has a right to self-determination. So if the Folketing said no to a decision made by referendum in Greenland, it would likely be contrary to international law. And it is possible that it could end up in an international court,” she says.