United States President, Donald Trump, has been exploring “a range of options” to acquire Greenland, including potential military action, according to the White House.
The White House told the BBC that acquiring the semi-autonomous Arctic region of fellow NATO member Denmark is considered a “national security priority.”
The statement came shortly after European leaders released a joint declaration backing Denmark, which has resisted Trump’s ambitions for the island.
Over the weekend, Trump reiterated that the US “needed” Greenland for security purposes, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to warn that any US attack would threaten the future of NATO.
On Tuesday, the White House said, “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief’s disposal.”
NATO, a trans-Atlantic military alliance, requires allies to defend each other in the event of external aggression.
Six European countries expressed solidarity with Denmark on Tuesday.
“Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations,” the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark said in a joint statement.
While affirming their own interest in Arctic security, the European signatories emphasized that such security must be achieved collectively through NATO, including the US.
They also stressed the importance of “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the support and called for “respectful dialogue.”
“The dialogue must take place with respect for the fact that Greenland’s status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity,” Nielsen said.
The debate over Greenland’s future gained renewed attention after the US military conducted an operation in Venezuela, during which elite troops captured President Nicolás Maduro and brought him to New York to face drugs and weapons charges.
A day after the raid, Katie Miller, wife of one of Trump’s senior aides, posted a map of Greenland on social media in the colors of the American flag with the caption “SOON.”
Her husband, Stephen Miller, later stated on Monday that it is “the formal position of the US government that Greenland should be part of the US.”
When asked repeatedly in a CNN interview whether the US might use force to annex Greenland, Miller said: “Nobody’s going to fight the US over the future of Greenland.”
Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, has enjoyed extensive self-rule since 1979, though defense and foreign policy remain under Danish control.
While most Greenlanders support eventual independence from Denmark, polls indicate strong opposition to joining the US, which already maintains a military base on the island.
Morgan Angaju, 27, an Inuk from Ilulissat in western Greenland, told the BBC: “It has been terrifying to listen to the leader of the free world laughing at Denmark and Greenland and just talking about us like we’re something to claim.”
“We are already claimed by the Greenlandic people. Kalaallit Nunaat means the land of the Greenlandic people,” Morgan added, expressing concern about whether Greenland’s prime minister could face threats similar to Maduro’s or if the US might invade.
An unnamed US senior official told Reuters that American options include either purchasing Greenland outright or establishing a Compact of Free Association with the territory.
A State Department spokesperson told the BBC that the US “is eager to build lasting commercial relationships that benefit Americans and the people of Greenland.”
“Our common adversaries have been increasingly active in the Arctic. That is a concern that the United States, the Kingdom of Denmark, and NATO Allies share,” the spokesperson added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers during a classified briefing on Capitol Hill on Monday that the administration does not plan to invade Greenland, but raised the possibility of buying it from Denmark, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Greenland and Denmark requested a meeting with Rubio to address the US position.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said discussions with America’s top diplomat should clarify “certain misunderstandings.”
Senator Eric Schmitt, a Republican from Missouri, emphasized the national security angle when speaking to the BBC: “I think they’re just in talks right now. My hope is that Europe would understand that a strong America is good – it’s good for Western civilisation.”
Trump initially floated the idea of acquiring Greenland as a strategic Arctic hub during his first presidential term, calling it “essentially… a large real estate deal.”
Interest from Russia and China in Greenland is rising, fueled by untapped rare earth deposits and melting ice that may open new trade routes.
In March, Trump said the US would “go as far as we have to go” to secure control of the island.
During a congressional hearing last summer, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked whether the Pentagon had plans to seize Greenland by force if needed. He replied that the military “have plans for any contingency.”
