The Trump administration has continued its talks about possibly acquiring Greenland, just days after an operation in Venezuela.
The White House said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump has been discussing options for acquiring the island, which is a territory of Denmark. Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be acquired by the United States and European allies have rallied behind Denmark.
The White House shared in a statement that Trump and his team are discussing options to pursue the “important foreign policy goal” and confirmed that “of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”
It comes just days after the U.S. military conducted an operation in Venezuela, capturing its president, Nicolás Maduro. The operation killed at least 80 people, but no U.S. soldiers were harmed.
The capture of Maduro was the latest and an escalation of the administration’s efforts to curb the flow of fentanyl and other drugs coming into the United States. Additionally, the administration has put forth plans for companies to tap into Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
Some Congressional leaders, though, seem less interested in pursuing Greenland.
“If the message is that ‘we need Greenland,’ the truth is that we already have access to everything we could need from Greenland,” Utah Rep. Blake Moore said along with Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., in a statement.
The renewed conversation about a Greenland acquisition, either through purchase or military action, has sparked concern for Europe. Denmark and Greenland are now looking to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the administration’s plans.
Asked by reporters after a Senate briefing about the Venezuela attack, Rubio said he wasn’t on Capitol Hill Wednesday to talk about Greenland.
“I’ll be meeting with them next week, we’ll have those conversations,” he confirmed to Deseret News’ Cami Mondeaux.
Trump has maintained that acquiring Greenland is a U.S. national security necessity that would deter adversaries and allow the U.S. to have access to the mineral-rich land.
The president mentioned acquiring Greenland during his first term and before he took office for the second time. Over the last several months, his administration has increased the interest in the island, including when Vice President JD Vance, Energy Secretary Christ Wright, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Utah Sen. Mike Lee visited the territory in April.
The administration is reportedly worried that China and Russia are building out their commercial activities in the Arctic and believes the U.S. needs to do the same.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked during a news conference Wednesday what the U.S. would gain by taking control over Greenland, since there are established treaties that allow the United States to construct and maintain military bases on the island.
“More control over the Arctic region,” she replied. “And ensuring that China and Russia and our adversaries cannot continue their aggression in this very important and strategic region.”
“And there would be many other benefits as well, that again, the president and his national security team are currently talking about.”
However, experts warn that if the United States were to buy or invade the island, it could threaten relationships with other allies. As a territory of Denmark, Greenland is a part of NATO.
“If we want to deploy more forces or build additional missile defense infrastructure in Greenland, Denmark has given us a green light to do so. Our ally has always accommodated us. Threatening to annex Greenland needlessly undermines that cooperation for no gain,” Moore and Hoyer added in their joint statement.