White House says Trump "discussing a range of options" to acquire Greenland

Washington, DC [US], January 8 : The White House has indicated that President Donald Trump is weighing multiple approaches to acquire Greenland, making it clear that the option of using the US military has not been ruled out.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN that "President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region." She added, "The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief's disposal."

The remarks came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed lawmakers this week on the administration's renewed interest in purchasing Greenland, while downplaying the likelihood of immediate US military action, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, CNN reported.

Although the administration's interest in the resource-rich, self-governing Danish territory had not been publicly highlighted in recent months, officials have continued internal deliberations on the issue, the report said.

At the request of Rubio's team, the State Department recently conducted an assessment of Greenland's untapped resources, including rare earth minerals. The analysis found there is no reliable estimate of the scale of these resources and noted that extracting them would involve enormous costs due to harsh weather conditions and limited infrastructure, according to a source cited by CNN.

Trump has in recent days adopted a more expansionist foreign policy posture, including a renewed focus on Greenland, following the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

"We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

Senior White House aide Stephen Miller reinforced the administration's position on Monday, telling CNN's Jake Tapper that no country would fight the US militarily "over the future of Greenland," while questioning Denmark's claim to the territory despite its status as a NATO ally.

The renewed US interest prompted European leaders to issue a joint statement backing Denmark, asserting that Greenland belongs to its people and stressing that Arctic security must be ensured collectively with NATO allies, including the United States. Leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark issued the statement on Tuesday.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that Trump's ambitions should be "taken seriously," cautioning that any US military action against Greenland could effectively spell the end of NATO.

Greenland's government also confirmed on Tuesday that it has requested a meeting with Rubio following recent statements from the Trump administration.

Trump has long expressed interest in Greenland, a strategically located island of about 836,000 square miles between the US, Europe and Russia, known for its deposits of oil, gas and rare earth minerals. Shortly after winning the 2024 election, he revived a first-term proposal to purchase the island, which was again rejected.

Nearly a year ago, Trump held a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida where he did not rule out military action to gain control of Greenland. During a joint session of Congress last March, he warned, "I think we're going to get it. One way or the other, we're going to get it."

Later that month, Vice President JD Vance made a controversial visit to Greenland, a trip opposed by local leaders. "Our message to Denmark is very simple," Vance said at the US Pituffik Space Base. "You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland."

Vance repeatedly argued that the island was vulnerable and that the US had "no other option" than to expand its presence there.

The administration's renewed focus has drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Senator Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, announced plans to introduce a resolution blocking any US invasion of Greenland. "Trump is telling us exactly what he wants to do. We must stop him before he invades another country on a whim," Gallego wrote in a post on X.

Republican Representative Don Bacon, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, urged the administration to abandon the idea, calling for Republicans to "universally oppose" any military move towards Greenland.

"This is appalling. Greenland is a NATO ally. We have a base on Greenland. We could put four or five bases on Greenland; they wouldn't mind that," Bacon told CNN's Tapper on The Lead on Tuesday.

Referring to Denmark, he added, "They are a proven ally, so the way we are treating them is really demeaning, and it has no upside."

In a joint statement, Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Senator Thom Tillis, co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate NATO Observer Group, reaffirmed the US partnership with Denmark, calling it an ally that has "earned our unwavering respect." They noted that Denmark is "significantly increasing its defence spending and remains a critical partner in Arctic security."

"Any suggestion that our nation would subject a fellow NATO ally to coercion or external pressure undermines the very principles of self-determination that our Alliance exists to defend," the senators said.

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