US considers special status for Greenland amid Trump push for control

Officials float idea of Compact of Free Association (COFA), used by US to keep close ties with Pacific Island nations

by Gram Slattery, Valerie Volcovici and Steve Holland, Reuters, May 9, 2025 (excerpt)

US 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 US 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 US government typically provides many essential services, from mail delivery to emergency management to military protection. In exchange, the US military operates freely in COFA countries and trade with the US is largely duty-free ….

read … US considers special status for Greenland amid Trump push for control