Buying Greenland could cost US $700 billion, estimates suggest

A rough estimate suggests that buying Greenland could cost the United States around $700 billion, nearly half of the Department of War’s budget.

Sources familiar with the matter said that the estimate was produced by former U.S. officials and scholars as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes to bring Greenland into the U.S. fold.

According to NBC News, the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been tasked with crafting a proposal to buy or acquire the 800,000-square-mile Danish territory.

Despite pressure and threats by the current U.S. administration, Greenland - the autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark - has rejected Trump's claim that the U.S. will acquire the island one way or another.

The tensions have risen since the U.S. military operation in Venezuela and the White House statement revealing that Trump was also considering a military option to acquire Greenland.

“Greenland is not for sale” Danish and Greenland officials have reiterated, adding, “Greenland does not want to be owned by, governed by or become part of the United States.”

Previously, the Danish Defence Ministry warned that troops will immediately respond with force to any military intervention, stating, “Danish troops will shoot first and ask questions later.”

Denmark and Greenland officials are scheduled to meet with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Marco Rubio on Wednesday to discuss the matter.