Denmark wants to talk with Rubio after 'U.S.'s strong statements on Greenland'

Denmark and Greenland are seeking a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, hoping to calm tensions between the two countries after the Trump administration doubled down on its intention to take over the Danish territory.

Here’s the latest as tensions escalate:

“Naalakkersuisut (Greenland’s official name) and the Danish government have approached the U.S. Department of State with a request for an immediate ministerial meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Naalakkersuisut’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Research Vivian Motzfeldt and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen,” the government of Greenland said in a statement . “The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the U.S.’s strong statements on Greenland.”

The statement added: “It has not previously been possible for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to meet with Naalakkersuisut. This is despite the fact that Naalakkersuisut and the Danish government have continuously requested a meeting at foreign ministerial level in 2025.”

Lars-Christian Brask, vice-chairman of the Danish foreign policy committee, stressed the importance of the meeting to Bloomberg TV in an interview.

“The next two weeks, they’re critical,” Brask told the outlet. “But let’s get the meeting with the three foreign ministers together, clear up the misunderstandings, try to understand what it is everybody wants to achieve, and then I’m sure we are more informed and there’s less misinformation after that meeting.”

The White House said on Tuesday that U.S. President Trump is weighing using the U.S. military to acquire the Danish territory of Greenland.

“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

It is not known if Rubio has accepted the proposed meeting. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Rubio told congressional lawmakers during a closed-door briefing Monday that Trump’s goal is to buy the island from Denmark rather than take it by force.

• John Ivison: Carney’s docility to Trump’s roguery could come back to bite Canada
• Why does Trump want Greenland? 'Should be part of U.S.,' Stephen Miller says

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