US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday that President Donald Trump aims to buy Greenland from Denmark and is not planning an immediate military invasion.
Rubio made the comments during a closed-door briefing, downplaying the idea that the US could take Greenland by force, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the discussions.
Sen. Lindsey Graham said the administration’s approach to Greenland is all about negotiation, adding that the U.S. needs legal control and legal protections to justify building and sending Americans into the field.
Meanwhile, the White House said Tuesday that the Trump administration is considering a number of options for the acquisition of Greenland, including using the U.S. military.
“President Trump has made it clear that the acquisition of Greenland is a national security priority for the United States and is vital to deterring our adversaries in the Arctic region,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in response to an inquiry by Anadolu Agency.
“The president and his team are considering a number of options to accomplish this important foreign policy objective, and of course, the use of the U.S. military is always an option available to the commander in chief,” Leavitt added.
The statement followed Trump’s repeated proposals to take over the islands for strategic purposes.
A day after the US military operation in Venezuela that captured President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday, Trump renewed his call to take over Greenland in the interest of national security.
“We need Greenland, from a national security standpoint, and Denmark won’t be able to do that,” he said when asked about any potential US action against Greenland.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and has repeatedly rejected proposals suggesting any transfer of sovereignty to the US.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on Trump to stop the threats.
