Photo: Alamy
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers this week that the United States plans to move forward with efforts to purchase Greenland, pursuing President Donald Trump’s long-standing claim that control of the Arctic territory is vital to national security, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Rubio’s comments reaffirm the administration’s position that Greenland’s location and resources make it a strategic asset in countering Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic. While the White House has not ruled out any options, officials emphasized that Trump’s current focus is on a financial transaction rather than military action.
“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States,” the White House said in a statement Tuesday. “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”
President Trump and Rubio have both argued that Greenland’s geographic position between North America and Europe, and its location adjacent to major Arctic shipping routes, gives it growing strategic importance as global competition in the region intensifies.
In a January 2025 interview, Rubio defended Trump’s interest in the island, saying the proposal has been seriously discussed in national security circles for years.
“This is not a joke, like, what he’s saying is pretty accurate,” Rubio said at the time. “People have been talking about it for years. This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land. This is in our national interest, and it needs to be solved. President Trump’s put out there what he intends to do, which is to purchase it.”
President Trump recently reiterated his view that Greenland is strategic, citing increased Russian and Chinese activity in Arctic waters.
The administration’s continued push for Greenland has strained relations with Denmark, which governs the territory and has repeatedly said it is not for sale. Still, U.S. officials have said negotiations will continue, framing the effort as part of a broader plan to reassert American leadership in the Arctic.