DONALD Trump is “aiming to buy” Greenland off of Denmark but has refused to rule out taking the coveted territory by force.
The US president is continuing to pile pressure on Europe as he eyes up the key island which he describes as a “national security priority”.
France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark have all rallied together to support the Danish autonomous territory.
A strong statement from the European leader – led by Sir Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron – states that: “Greenland belongs to its people.”
“It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the leaders added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Monday that the Don was looking to purchase the mineral-rich isle, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The White House said on Tuesday that using the US army is “always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal” – but Rubio has downplayed military action.
He instead suggested that Trump is leaning more towards paying for the Danish land, rather than invading it and risking a Nato implosion.
It comes after Europe banded together to declare Greenland “belongs to its people”, defying Trump after he insisted he was “very serious” about seizing the territory.
The White House said: “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.
“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”
The US could buy Greenland in order to own it, or create a compact of “free association” with the island, according to a senior Washington source.
Despite warnings from European allies, the issue is reportedly “not going away” as the Don continues to double down on his threats.
An extraordinary meeting of Danish parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee will take place at Christiansborg Palace this evening to discuss the escalating threat of annexation.
It comes after President Donald Trump told NBC News he was “very serious” about a US annexation of the Danish-owned isle, doubling down on the narrative that Washington needed the Arctic island for “national security”.
He said he had “no timeline” for taking action, but maintained he is “very serious” in his intent.
He again refused to rule out the use of force to secure it, the suggestion being that Greenland could be America’s next target after the US military action in Venezuela.
“We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months,” Trump began telling media on Air Force One.
“We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic. Right now Greenland has Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” he went on to say.
But Nato would not survive an American attack to seize Greenland, Denmark has warned.
The furious Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen gave a chilling response to Trump’s threats.
She said an attack on the Nato-protected territory would be the end of “everything”.
“If the US chooses to attack another Nato country militarily, everything stops. Including our Nato, and the security that has been provided since the end of the second world war,” she told Danish television network TV2.
But the White House deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser Stephen Miller argued “nobody’s gonna fight” America over the future of Greenland.
He also demanded to know what the “basis” of Denmark‘s territorial claim was for the mineral-rich island.
He justified the US would seize the strategic, resource-rich isle if it wanted because “the United States is the power of Nato”.
“For the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend Nato and Nato interests, obviously, Greenland should be part of the United States, and so that’s a conversation that we’re going to have as a country,” he said.
Previously, military experts and defence analysts believed a US invasion of Greenland was unlikely since the Danish autonomous territory is part of Nato, along with the US.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer slapped down Donald Trump, insisting he “stands” with Denmark.
The British Prime Minister backed PM Frederiksen, saying she was “right” to reject any US claim over the Arctic island.
Asked about her stance, the PM told Sky News: “Well, I stand with her, and she’s right about the future of Greenland.”
Elsewhere, the Prime Minister was asked by the BBC if he agreed with calls from the Danes for the US president to stop proposing American annexation of the island.
“Yes,” Sir Keir replied, adding: “Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark are to decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.
“Denmark is a close ally in Europe, it is a Nato ally.”
Nato‘s Article 5 – which has underpinned 80 years of North Atlantic peace – states that an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all.
If Trump attacked Greenland it should trigger an armed response from Nato’s 31 other members, including the UK.
PM Frederiksen said The US had no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom, adding that Denmark already has a defence agreement with America,
“I would therefore strongly urge the US to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale,” she said.
Trump’s bombing of Venezuela that led to Maduro’s ouster has raised fears of Washington’s annexation of Greenland.
Just hours after the US military operation in Venezuela, MAGA firebrand Katie Miller – the wife of Donald Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Steven Miller – posted a map of Greenland draped in the American flag.
Sharing the post on X, she wrote: “Soon.”
The threat to take over the Danish autonomous territory coveted by Washington drew widespread outrage from Greenlanders and Danes.
Copenhagen’s ambassador to the US, Jesper Møller Sørensen, reposted Miller’s provocation with a “friendly reminder” of the longstanding defence ties between the two countries.
He wrote: “We are close allies and should continue to work together as such. US security is also Greenland’s and Denmark’s security.
“The Kingdom of Denmark and the United States work together to ensure security in the Arctic.”
The Arctic is increasingly the object of a struggle between international superpowers.
Greenland, located between North America and Europe, is strategic at a time of rising US, Chinese and Russian interest in the region as the race for rare earths heats up.
Greenland’s location also puts it on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the US.
Russia and China have both ramped up efforts to take control of the region, and concerns exist that America has been caught off guard.
The US has its Pituffik military base in Greenland, an essential part of Washington‘s missile-defence infrastructure.
Earlier in March, Vice President JD Vance blasted Denmark for not keeping Greenland safe from the looming threats from China and Russia.
Trump’s number two arrived in Greenland with his wife Usha for a controversial visit.
He told Space Force guardians at the base that Greenland’s security is under threat from Russia and China and “we must wake up to that”.