- Rubio plans Danish talks next week on Greenland.
- Tensions rise over US military option threats.
- Danish PM warns takeover ends NATO alliance.
Denmark's and Greenland's foreign ministers had demanded an immediate meeting, claiming that any NATO member's invasion or occupation of the area would be the end of "post-second world war security" and the western military alliance.
Rubio, asked whether he would rule out military intervention in Greenland, told reporters in Washington:
“If the president identifies a threat to the national security of the United States, every president retains the option to address it through military means.
As a diplomat, which is what I am now, and what we work on, we always prefer to settle it in different ways. That included in Venezuela.”
He added:
“I’m not here to talk about Denmark or military intervention. I’m going to meet them next week.”
France said on Tuesday that it was working with partners to prepare a response in case the United States invaded Greenland. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the subject will be discussed at a meeting with the foreign ministers of Poland and Germany on Wednesday.
Trump claimed that the United States will not leave NATO in a backhanded social media statement condemning the alliance on Wednesday.
“We will always be there for Nato, even if they won’t be there for us,” he wrote on Truth Social. Russia and China would “have zero fear” of Nato without the US, he said. Addressing “all of those big Nato fans”,
he added:
“They were at 2% GDP, and most weren’t paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG.”
European countries rallied around Denmark and Greenland after one of Trump's top aides said on Tuesday that the US might be prepared to take over the Arctic territory by force. They issued a rare rebuke to the White House, stating that Greenland "belongs to its people."
In spite of this, the White House stated on Tuesday night that Trump and his staff were considering "a range of options" to obtain Greenland, including the deployment of the US military, which it claimed was "always an option."
However, Barrot said that Rubio had informed him over the phone on Tuesday that he had "ruled out the possibility of an invasion" of Greenland.
“I myself was on the phone yesterday with US secretary of state, Marco Rubio … who confirmed that this was not the approach taken,”
he said.
Trump has expressed his desire to buy Greenland for a long time. However, the Trump administration's rhetoric has reached previously unheard-of heights following the US military intervention in Venezuela on Saturday that led to the overthrow of Nicolás Maduro, the nation's president, raising questions about NATO's continuing existence.
The Danish parliament held an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday night to consider the unusual matter.
Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the foreign minister of Denmark, and Vivian Motzfeldt, the foreign minister of Greenland, declared that they wanted to meet with Rubio right away to discuss Greenland.
Denmark is unable to defend Greenland, which the president has declared is crucial to US national security, since it is "full of Chinese and Russian ships," according to Trump.
“The image that is being painted of Russian and Chinese ships right inside the Nuuk fjord and massive Chinese investments being made is not correct,”
he said.
The situation, Rasmussen said, was “based on a misreading of what is up and what is down”, adding:
“We are looking after the kingdom.”
Denmark’s defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, disputed US claims that the country was not doing enough to protect Greenland.
“We have invested close to 100bn [Danish kroner] (£11.6bn) in security capabilities,”
he said.
How could talks affect NATO posture in the Arctic region?
US- Danish addresses on Greenland could reshape NATO's Arctic posture by clarifying alliance commitments to territorial sovereignty while potentially securing enhanced US grounding rights without outright accession.
Successful accommodations might yield Danish concessions like expanded Thule Air Base operations or common details, bolstering NATO's high- north deterrence against Russian Northern Fleet submarines and Chinese exploration vessels realigning Joint Force Commands Norfolk and Brunssum for flawless content post- Finland/ Sweden accession.
Failure pitfalls Danish exit from NATO grounding agreements, fracturing concinnity as France/ Germany/ UK affirm Greenland's tone- determination; Russia could exploit divisions via Kola Peninsula advances, while China accelerates" Polar Silk Road" structure, weakening GIUK gap control critical for Atlantic mounts.