US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told American lawmakers that US President Donald Trump plans to buy Greenland, not invade it, while Trump asked aides to provide him with an updated plan to acquire the territory, The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing US officials, writes UNN.
Meanwhile, the White House said that the use of the American military "is always an option" for acquiring Greenland.
Details
Rubio made the statement at a briefing on Monday with lawmakers from the main armed services and foreign policy committees in both houses of the US Congress. On the same day, Trump instructed aides to present an updated plan, the publication writes.
The congressional briefing focused on Venezuela, but lawmakers expressed concern about Trump's intentions regarding Greenland, given the aggressive remarks this week by the American president and his top aide Stephen Miller, two officials said.
Rubio did not elaborate on what he meant by buying Greenland. Trump spent decades in New York as a developer, and one of his top diplomatic envoys, Steve Witkoff, has a similar background. Trump has sought Greenland since his first term, the publication notes.
White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said Trump had not ruled out a US invasion of Greenland, the publication writes.
"President Trump has made it clear that the acquisition of Greenland is a national security priority for the United States, and it is vital to deterring our adversaries in the Arctic region," her statement reads. "The President and his team are discussing a range of options to achieve this important foreign policy goal, and, of course, the use of the American military is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief's disposal."
Addition
Greenland is a sparsely populated autonomous territory under the sovereign borders of Denmark, a NATO member. Denmark established colonial control over Greenland in the 18th century and allowed it to become autonomous in the 20th century.
On Tuesday, the leaders of six NATO countries, along with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, issued a landmark joint statement rejecting Trump's assertion that the United States should take control of Greenland. The countries that joined Denmark were the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland, all of which are close allies of the United States.
Some lawmakers expressed concern about Trump's stated plans. On Tuesday evening, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, and Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, issued a joint statement saying that the US government must respect its allies.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that "Greenland is covered everywhere with Russian and Chinese ships."
As the publication notes, these two countries are active states in the Arctic Circle, but Greenland is not surrounded by their ships. In fact, it is the United States that has a military base in Greenland. US Vice President J.D. Vance visited the base with his wife Usha last year.
Trump also focused on Greenland because of its potential wealth of critical minerals, the publication notes.
The Trump administration's second US National Security Strategy states that dominance in the Western Hemisphere is a top priority. This became especially relevant after Trump's months-long campaign of military pressure on Venezuela and the capture on Saturday by US forces of Nicolás Maduro, the country's leader, and his wife Cilia Flores during a deadly attack, the publication writes. And Trump stated early last year that he planned to acquire Canada.