United States President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to acquire Greenland from Denmark is not a “crazy idea,” the former NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) supreme allied commander in Europe, James Stavridis, has said. Stavridis did add that takinfthe island by force with military action was not going to happen.

So, if Greenland won’t be taken by force, and its rulers are not giving it up willingly, how is Trump going to acquire the Arctic island?

The Danish-owned island represents a potential “strategic goldmine” for Washington, James Stavridis has said, however, he directly dismissed the possibility of military intervention, instead advocating for economic engagement as a means to strengthen ties with the region, according to a report by RT. 

Speaking on ‘The Cats Roundtable’ with John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 radio on Sunday, the retired admiral described Greenland as a “strategic goldmine for the United States,” highlighting its location and abundant natural resources.

“It sits at the very top of the North Atlantic. It protects approaches to our own country – the Atlantic Ocean – so it is geographically very important,” Stavridis said. He added that the region is rich in rare minerals and likely has vast oil and gas deposits.

“And it’s huge, a huge land mass. It’s three times the size of Texas,” he said, agreeing with the host that Greenland is “almost a better deal than Alaska.”

“And here’s my point. We already almost bought Greenland,” Stavridis said. “We almost bought it at the same time when we bought Alaska, back in the 1860s. So it’s not a crazy idea.” –RT

The former NATO commander did not argue for war with Denmark or Greenland in order to take control of the island. He claimed that the U.S. should focus on economic engagement to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the region.

“We could do an awful lot in terms of business, investment, box out the Russians, box out the Chinese, and work very closely with Greenland,” Stavridis said. He added that Greenland “doesn’t have to become the 51st state, but it could certainly be an economic objective for us.”

Trump proposed purchasing Greenland first in 2019, but since has said military action is on the table in order to take it by force if they won’t come willingly.

Trump Will Not “Rule Out” Military Action To Take Greenland By Force

Trump ally and tech billionaire Elon Musk has expressed support for the possibility of Greenland becoming part of the United States. Musk made the remarks on Sunday, writing on X: “If the people of Greenland want to be part of America, which I hope they do, they would be most welcome!” In doing so, he was responding to a recent poll by the University of Copenhagen indicating that the majority of Greenlanders favor independence from Denmark.

That does not mean that they favor a military takeover by the U.S., however.

On Saturday, Axios reported, citing sources, that Denmark, Washington’s NATO ally, had sent “private messages” to Trump signaling that it is open to discussing boosting US military presence in Greenland.

A boost in military presence on the island may not be enough to satisfy those who want complete control over a territory.