Rubio Informs Legislators Trump Aims to Purchase Greenland
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has informed legislators that President Trump intends to purchase Greenland instead of staging an invasion. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has requested his aides to provide him with a revised strategy for obtaining the territory, as reported by U.S. officials on Tuesday. Mr. Rubio made these comments during a briefing on Monday with lawmakers from the primary armed services and foreign policy committees in both houses of Congress. On the same day, Mr. Trump directed aides to prepare an updated plan. Although the congressional briefing mainly addressed Venezuela, lawmakers expressed concerns about Mr. Trump’s intentions regarding Greenland, especially following assertive remarks made by the American president and a senior advisor, Stephen Miller, two officials noted. Mr. Rubio did not elaborate on what he meant by acquiring Greenland. Mr. Trump has spent years in New York as a property developer, and one of his key diplomatic representatives, Steve Witkoff, shares a similar background. Mr. Trump has had a long-standing interest in Greenland since his initial term. Greenland, an autonomous territory with a low population, is under the sovereign control of Denmark, which is a NATO member. In the 18th century, Denmark established colonial rule over Greenland, while the territory gained autonomy in the 20th century.
On Tuesday, leaders from six NATO countries partnered with Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s prime minister, to issue an extraordinary joint statement refuting Mr. Trump’s claims that the U.S. should take control of Greenland. The nations joining Denmark included Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland, all of whom are close allies of the United States. “Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the U.N. Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders,” they stated. “These are universal principles, and we will not cease defending them.” “Greenland belongs to its people,” they continued. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to make decisions regarding matters related to Denmark and Greenland.” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, indicated that Mr. Trump had not dismissed the possibility of a U.S. invasion of Greenland. “President Trump has made it abundantly clear that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority for the United States, and it is crucial for deterring our adversaries in the Arctic region,” she remarked in a statement. “The president and his team are exploring various options to achieve this important foreign policy aim, and naturally, deploying the U.S. military is always an option available to the commander in chief.” Some legislators raised concerns regarding Mr. Trump’s declared intentions. On Tuesday evening, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, and Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, released a joint statement emphasizing that the U.S. government should respect its allies. “When Denmark and Greenland clearly state that Greenland isn’t for sale, the United States must uphold its treaty commitments and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” stated the senators, who lead the Senate NATO Observer Group. “Any implication that our nation would subject a fellow NATO ally to coercion or outside pressure undermines the fundamental principles of self-determination that our alliance exists to uphold,” they added.
On Sunday, Mr. Trump mentioned to reporters on Air Force One that “Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.” While those two countries are indeed active in the Arctic Circle, Greenland is not encircled by their vessels. In actuality, it is the United States that maintains a military base in Greenland. Vice President JD Vance visited that base with his spouse, Usha, the previous year. Mr. Trump has also zeroed in on Greenland due to its potential resources of critical minerals. The second Trump administration’s National Security Strategy places a high priority on dominance in the Western Hemisphere. This focus has been underscored by Mr. Trump’s prolonged military pressure campaign against Venezuela, along with the U.S. troops’ recent seizure of Nicolás Maduro, the nation’s leader, and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a violent incident. Additionally, Mr. Trump indicated early last year that he aimed to acquire Canada.
Published: 2026-01-07 16:18:00
source: www.nytimes.com
