Rubio to meet Danish officials amid intensifying US interest in Greenland

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on January 7 that he plans to meet with Danish officials next week to discuss issues related to Greenland, according to US media.

His remarks on Capitol Hill came at a time when the Trump administration has intensified its public messaging about the possibility of acquiring Greenland, a self-governing territory under Denmark.

Rubio was questioned about why Washington had not responded to Denmark’s request for talks regarding the island. He said that a meeting was already planned, noting, “I’ll be meeting with them next week.”

A reporter then asked whether he was prepared to rule out the use of the United States military to take control of Greenland. Rubio declined to address that scenario, saying he was not there to discuss Denmark or potential military actions. He reiterated only that discussions with Danish representatives would take place next week. “We’ll have conversations with them then, but I’m not adding things further to that today,” he said.

On Tuesday evening, January 6, Danish Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced that Denmark would allocate 88 billion Danish kroner (equivalent to $13.8 billion) toward strengthening Greenland’s defence capabilities in light of what he characterised as the “serious security situation” currently facing the country. Poulsen said he hoped Washington also recognised the gravity of the situation and was prepared to cooperate in safeguarding shared security interests in the Arctic.

Poulsen emphasised that Denmark wished to remain an ally of the United States, but that such a relationship required “mutual willingness to show respect and cooperation.”

His remarks followed comments from the White House earlier in the day. In a statement to CNBC, the administration said President Donald Trump and his advisors were examining “a range of options” for acquiring Greenland, potentially including the use of military means.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a January 6 email that Trump had made clear that obtaining Greenland was a national security priority for the United States and important for deterring adversaries in the Arctic. She added that various approaches were being considered to advance that objective and noted that the use of the U.S. military was “always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”

By Tamilla Hasanova