Trump administration officials will meet with Danish officials about Greenland on Wednesday, diplomatic sources told CBS News.
The unannounced meeting comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress that President Trump is interested in buying the Danish territory. The White House also said Tuesday that officials are discussing a number of options for the acquisition of GreenlandIncluding using the US military to take over by force.
While Rubio played down the threat of military force in remarks to reporters, Mr Trump doubled down on the possibility on Friday, saying: “I’d like to do a deal the easy way, but if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”
Sen. Tim Kaine, who met with Danish officials last week, said Sunday he believes Democrats and Republicans in Congress will join forces to stop any military action aimed at taking over Greenland. “We’re not going to do it the hard way, and we’re not going to do it the easy way,” he said. “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
“Or we will continue to work with Denmark as a sovereign nation that we are allies with, and we will not treat them as adversaries or enemies,” the Democrat said.
Mr Trump he told the New York Times in an interview published last week that ownership of Greenland, the world’s largest island, was important because “that is what I think is psychologically necessary for success.” Mr Trump has repeatedly said the US should annex Greenland for defense purposes.
The president’s rhetoric in recent weeks has further underscored already strained relations with European allies. Multiple European diplomats told CBS News that they increasingly understand that America’s commitment to the defense of Europe and NATO is not as strong as it has been in recent decades, or even in recent years. war in UkraineThe US rallied European countries to unite against Russian aggression. A diplomat told CBS News that the situation in Greenland is a breaking point.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, who was appointed by Mr. Trump Special Envoy for Greenland last month he wrote in X on Sunday “History matters. The US defended Greenland’s sovereignty in World War II when Denmark could not.”
“After the war, Denmark re-occupied, abandoned and ignored UN protocol. This should be about hospitality, not hostility,” Landry said.
In responseDenmark’s U.S. Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen said “facts are also important,” noting that Greenland “has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark for centuries.” He also pointed out that last week in the Parliament the five Greenlandic parties repeated it I don’t want to become part of the US
“We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and four party leaders said in a statement Friday night.
Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark He said earlier this month that an American military takeover of Greenland would mean the end of the NATO military alliance. Denmark is a member of NATO, and Article 5 of NATO states that if a NATO ally suffers an armed attack, all members will consider it an attack against them and will do what is necessary to help the attacked nation.
“This would be disastrous,” Kain said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” It wouldn’t be the end of NATO, it would just be America.”