U.S. president Donald Trump is interested in buying the country of Greenland, according to a new report.

The move, which would see the U.S. acquire the island — the world’s largest — from Denmark, has been floated repeatedly by Trump in meetings, dinners and passing conversations, according to unnamed sources cited by the Wall Street Journal.

The White House administration did not comment on the report.

Greenland, which sits between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, is a largely autonomous, ice-covered territory of Denmark that is both rich in resources and considered to be of significant geopolitical importance.

Though the Wall Street Journal describes the idea of buying Greenland as something that has captured the president’s imagination, it is not clear how the U.S. would go about making such a purchase.

Some of his advisers support the concept, believing it to make economic sense, according to two unnamed sources who spoke to the newspaper. Others have dismissed it “as a fleeting fascination that will never come to fruition,” the paper said.

Greenland, which has a population of just 56,000, serves as the location for the U.S. military’s most northern base. Thule Air Base, which is just 1,524 km from the North Pole, was opened during World War II to offer Danish colonies protection from Germany.

U.S. officials thus have considered Greenland to be important to their country’s national security interests.

During the Cold War, the U.S. reportedly placed up to 600 nuclear-armed missiles in underground tunnels near the base.

After World War II, then-President Harry Truman offered to buy Greenland for US$100 million — a move that was rebuffed. The U.S. State Department had floated the idea of buying both Greenland and Iceland as far back as 1867.

The country has significant natural resources, but 60 percent of its annual budget — or US$591 million — comes in the form of a subvention by the Danish Government.

Trump is due to visit Denmark next month, but it is not clear if the idea of purchasing Greenland will be on the agenda.

Meanwhile, the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Greenland, published a humorous tweet saying “we’re open for business, not for sale.”

Upon hearing Trump’s alleged plan, Soeren Espersen, foreign ministry spokesperson of the right-wing Danish People’s party, turned indignant and called the report, if correct, “disgraceful.”

“These comments are an insult to the Kingdom of Denmark,” said Espersen. “You can’t just sell people like slaves anymore. Those days are past!”

Christian Juhl, a member of Danish eco-socialist political party the Red-Green Alliance, also felt angry about Trump’s reported interest.

“Greenland is not for sale. The people of Greenland dream of independence not to become an American colony,” Juhl said.  (SD-Agencies)