Marco Rubio To Hold Talks With Danish Leaders On Greenland After Trump’s Threat

Last Updated:January 08, 2026, 00:00 IST

Rubio said he will meet the Danish government next week to discuss Greenland.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Reuters Image)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said he will meet the Danish government next week to discuss Greenland, following President Donald Trump’s renewed remarks about taking control of the island.

“I’ll be meeting with them next week,” Rubio said.

The meeting comes as Denmark and Greenland seek clarification on Washington’s intentions after Trump again spoke about gaining control of the strategically important Arctic territory.

Following the US military action in Venezuela, Trump’s renewed remarks have caused concern in Europe.

Shortly after Rubio’s comment, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had “actively discussed” the idea of buying Greenland and would not rule out using the US military. She said the president preferred diplomacy but insisted all options were on the table.

She added that Trump believes acquiring Greenland would serve US national security by deterring Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic.

“He views it in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region. And so that’s why his team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like,” Leavitt said at a press briefing.

Trump has repeatedly said he wants the US to acquire Greenland — a mineral-rich, semi‑autonomous territory of Denmark that already hosts a US military base — citing national security reasons. He first raised the idea publicly during his first term in 2019 and has revived it during his current presidency.

Meanwhile, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that any attack on a NATO ally would end the alliance, and several European leaders have voiced support for Copenhagen.

Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said they had tried to arrange a meeting with Rubio throughout 2025, but “it has so far not been possible.”

Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said meeting Rubio should “clear up certain misunderstandings,” while Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen insisted that the island was not for sale and that only its 57,000 people should decide its future.

(With inputs from agencies)

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