Cryptocurrency bettors do not see a very high chance of the U.S. seizing control of Greenland this year amid mixed signals from the Trump administration over the past week.
Greenland Acquisition Bets Get Hotter
Odds in favor of the contract titled “Will Trump acquire Greenland before 2027?” stood at 17% on Polymarket, up from 9% a week ago.
Over $6 million has been wagered on the bet, among the highest on the Polygon (CRYPTO: POL)-based prediction market currently. This market will resolve to “Yes” if the U.S. officially announces that Greenland will come under U.S. sovereignty before the year ends.
Meanwhile, bettors saw a 25% chance that the U.S. would take control of any land territory that is part of Greenland.
Interestingly, bettors on the federally authorized betting platform Kalshi saw substantially higher odds, at 46%, that the U.S. will acquire a portion of Greenland.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday that the acquisition of Greenland, a Danish territory, is a priority for Trump on national security grounds. She stated that the President and his team are considering various strategies, including the use of the U.S. military, which is “always an option”.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y) expressed serious concern over Trump’s comments about taking over Greenland, citing the president’s past behavior as a reason to treat such statements as credible. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that NATO’s survival could be at risk if the U.S. used military force against Greenland.
Frederiksen had previously urged Trump to cease threats of the U.S. annexing Greenland, emphasizing that Denmark and Greenland are part of the Danish Kingdom and are covered by NATO’s collective defense guarantee.
NATO’s Unity At Risk
Some reports revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had briefed congressional lawmakers about Trump’s intention to purchase the island from Denmark without military intervention.
Greenland’s leadership has consistently rejected Trump’s attempts to gain control over the island, emphasizing that the future of Greenland should be in the hands of its own people. In a statement issued Friday, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and four party leaders declared, “We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders.”
Meanwhile, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that NATO’s survival would be in jeopardy if the U.S. uses military force against Greenland. She stated that an attack on Greenland, a semiautonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, would amount to one NATO ally attacking another, a move she said would effectively destroy the alliance.
Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director, also expressed strong opposition to a potential invasion, warning that it could shatter the core trust architecture of U.S. alliances and have a boomerang effect on U.S. financial conditions.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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