White House says Trump is actively discussing possibility of buying Greenland

US President Donald Trump and his officials are “actively” discussing a potential offer to buy the Danish territory of Greenland, the White House has confirmed.

White House spokesperson Carolyn Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that “the matter is currently being actively discussed by the president and his national security team.”

Both Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly stressed that the island is not for sale.

Asked why the Trump administration had previously said it would not rule out using military force to acquire Greenland, Levitt responded that all options were on the table, but Trump’s “first choice is always diplomacy.”

Concerns about the future of the territory have resurfaced after Trump on Saturday used force unilaterally against Venezuela to capture President Nicolás Maduro. NATO ally Denmark said an attack on its territory would end the military alliance.

The Trump administration says Greenland is vital to U.S. security.

Despite being the most sparsely populated region, its location between North America and the Arctic makes it ideal for establishing an early warning system in the event of a missile attack.

Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, has been operated by the United States since World War II.

Interest in Greenland’s natural resources has also grown in recent years, including rare earth minerals, uranium and iron, which are becoming increasingly accessible as climate change causes ice and snow to melt. Scientists believe it may also hold significant oil and natural gas reserves.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday he would hold talks with Denmark next week.

Trump previously made an offer to buy the island in 2019 during his first term as president, but was told the island was not for sale.

“The U.S. acquisition of Greenland is not a new idea,” Levitt said.

“The president has been very open and clear to all of you and to the world that he believes it is in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic, which is why his team is currently discussing potential purchases.”

The White House said earlier this week that Trump has been discussing a range of options for acquiring Greenland, including the use of military force.

“President Trump always has the option to consider all options when he looks at what is in the best interest of the United States,” Levitt said.

Earlier in the day, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrow said in a phone call with him that Rubio “ruled out an invasion of Greenland.”

Barrow will discuss the Arctic islands issue with his German and Polish counterparts later on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, European leaders issued a joint statement supporting Denmark.

“Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and only Denmark and Greenland can decide questions about their relationship,” the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said in a joint statement.

The European signatories stressed that they share the United States’ passion for Arctic security and said this must be achieved “together” by NATO allies, including the United States.

They also called for “upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders.”

The day after the U.S. launched military action in Venezuela, Katie Miller, the wife of a top Trump aide, posted a map of Greenland on social media in the same colors as the U.S. flag with the word “soon” written next to it.

Her husband, Stephen Miller, said on Monday that “the official position of the U.S. government is that Greenland should become part of the United States.”

Aaja Chemnitz, one of two members of the Danish parliament representing Greenland, told the BBC that the Trump administration’s comments were a “clear threat”.

“It is completely disrespectful for the United States not to rule out annexing our country and annexing another NATO ally,” she said.

But Chemnitz said she believed that was unlikely to happen and instead “we will see them putting pressure on us to ensure that they take over Greenland over time”.

Aleqatsiaq Peary, a 42-year-old Inuit hunter living in the remote town of Qaanaaq in northern Greenland, seems indifferent to the potential of American ownership.

“It will be a transition from one master to another, from one occupier to another,” he told the BBC. “We were a colony under Danish rule. We have lost a lot because of the Danish government.”

He said he didn’t have “time for Trump,” adding that people “have needs.” He explained that hunters like him hunt and fish with dogs on the sea ice, “but the sea ice is melting and hunters can no longer make a living.”

Additional reporting by Adrienne Murray in Copenhagen