Donald Trump is reportedly planning to pay Greenlanders a lump sum of money in a bid to convince them to join the US. US top officials are reportedly working on a plan that could see Greenlanders being paid from $10,000 to $100,000 (£7,450 – £74,500) per person if they agree on their territory become part of the States. 

Mr Trump and his administration have been pushing for acquiring Greenland, which, at the moment, is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The US President has repeatedly said in the past the US needs to acquire the largest island in the world for national security purposes. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday the option of buying Greenland is being “actively discussed by the president and his national security team.”

Speaking about the plan, one sources told Reuters that the idea of making payments to Greenlanders isn’t new, but the talks have gained momentum recently. A source also told the news agency that the Trump administration is hoping to carry forward the momentum from the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.

Mr Trump said on Sunday on Air Force One: “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

However, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, as well as his Danish counterpart, has recently hit back on claim that the US needs to acquire the island.

“No more fantasies about annexation,” Nielsen wrote in a Facebook post Sunday.

Britain has so far backed Denmark and Greenland, joining on Tuesday five other countries in a joint statement supporting the sovereignty of the territory.

The statement read: “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

Fears of a takeover have grown steadily over the past few days, as have concerns Washington may seize Greenland by force.

A White House statement issued earlier this week read: “President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region. The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”