US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced plans to meet Danish officials next week to discuss Greenland, amid escalating tensions over President Donald Trump’s repeated proposals to acquire the Arctic territory. The move comes as NATO allies express alarm at the prospect of the United States seizing control of Greenland, a scenario European leaders warn could undermine the alliance and post-World War II security structures.
The meeting follows urgent requests from the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland. Both governments have stressed that any attempt by a NATO ally to invade or take over Greenland would mark the “end of the Western military alliance.” Rubio, speaking to reporters in Washington, refrained from commenting on the possibility of military intervention. “I’m not here to talk about Denmark or military intervention,” he said. “I’ll be meeting with them next week. We’ll have those conversations with them then, but I don’t have anything further to add.”
Rubio emphasized that all US presidents retain the option of using military means to address national security threats but did not specify whether the Trump administration would consider such a course in Greenland.
The situation has drawn reactions from Europe. On Tuesday, France announced that it is coordinating with its allies to consider potential responses should the United States attempt to invade Greenland. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told France Inter radio: “We want to take action, but we want to do so together with our European partners.”
According to Rubio, Trump has been contemplating acquiring Greenland since the beginning of his first term. “That’s always been the president’s intent from the very beginning,” Rubio said. “He’s not the first US president that has examined or looked at how we could acquire Greenland.”
The White House, while emphasizing diplomacy as the preferred route, has not ruled out military action. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump’s national security team is actively exploring the potential for a Greenland purchase. “The president has been very open and clear that he views it in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region,” Leavitt said.
Pressed on why the administration would not rule out force, she added: “Past presidents have often broadcast their strategies to the world. This president does not. All options are always on the table, but I will say that the president’s first option always has been diplomacy.”
Leavitt also highlighted strategic gains from controlling Greenland beyond existing US military bases, citing enhanced oversight of Arctic operations and countering Chinese and Russian influence in the region.
Trump weighed in directly via social media, posting on Truth Social that the US would not abandon NATO while criticizing the alliance. “We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us,” he wrote. He added that Russia and China would have “zero fear” of NATO without US support and credited his administration with pressuring allies to increase defense spending.
The situation intensified after one of Trump’s aides suggested the US might seize Greenland by force, prompting European leaders to rally behind Denmark and Greenland. Barrot confirmed that during a phone call with Rubio, the US secretary of state had “ruled out the possibility of an invasion.”
Trump’s longstanding interest in Greenland has now collided with recent US military operations abroad, including the weekend intervention in Venezuela, heightening international tensions and raising questions about NATO’s cohesion.
In Denmark, lawmakers convened an extraordinary parliamentary session on Tuesday to address the crisis. Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt sought an urgent meeting with Rubio. “We would like to add some nuance to the conversation,” Rasmussen said on social media. “The shouting match must be replaced by a more sensible dialogue. Now.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Greenland is “full of Chinese and Russian ships” and suggested that Denmark is incapable of defending the territory. However, Rasmussen rejected these assertions, calling US claims “a false representation of what is happening in Greenland.” He said reports of Russian and Chinese presence near Nuuk fjord and large-scale investments were inaccurate, describing the situation as “based on a misreading of what is up and what is down.”
Denmark’s Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen similarly challenged the US portrayal of Greenland’s defense capabilities. “We have invested close to 100 billion Danish kroner (£11.6bn) in security capabilities,” he said, underscoring Copenhagen’s commitment to safeguarding the Arctic region.
The unfolding Greenland dispute highlights the increasing strategic significance of the Arctic, where melting ice has opened new shipping routes and potential energy reserves, attracting the attention of global powers. Analysts warn that even the suggestion of a US military acquisition could destabilize NATO, damage transatlantic trust, and exacerbate competition with China and Russia in the Arctic.
With the scheduled talks next week, officials from Washington, Copenhagen, and Nuuk face the delicate task of defusing tensions while preserving alliance commitments. Meanwhile, Trump’s vocal interest in Greenland continues to fuel diplomatic unease, illustrating how the Arctic, long seen as a remote frontier, has become a central theater in contemporary international security debates.
