Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that President Trump prefers to acquire Greenland through purchase rather than military force, even as Trump has asked aides to update plans for obtaining the territory, according to Edward Wong, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt of The New York Times. The comments come amid heightened concern from US allies after Trump and senior aides suggested that military options remain on the table. Denmark and several NATO partners issued a joint statement rejecting US claims and reaffirming Greenland’s sovereignty, while some US lawmakers warned that coercion would undermine alliance principles. Trump has long expressed interest in Greenland for strategic and resource reasons, framing its acquisition as a national security priority tied to Arctic competition with Russia and China. They write:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told lawmakers that President Trump plans to buy Greenland rather than invade it, while Mr. Trump has asked aides to give him an updated plan for acquiring the territory, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

Mr. Rubio made his remarks in a briefing on Monday with lawmakers from the main armed services and foreign policy committees in both chambers of Congress. The same day, Mr. Trump told aides to deliver an updated plan. […]

“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,” she said in a statement. “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.” […]

On Sunday, Mr. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that “Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.” […]

Mr. Trump has also focused on Greenland because of its potential wealth of critical minerals.

The second Trump administration’s National Security Strategy says dominance of the Western Hemisphere is a top priority. That has been brought into sharp focus with Mr. Trump’s monthslong military pressure campaign against Venezuela and the seizure on Saturday by U.S. troops of Nicolás Maduro, the country’s leader, and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a deadly attack. And Mr. Trump said early last year that he planned to acquire Canada.

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