USA – The Secretary of State Marco Rubio have downplayed a military invasion, saying that the US plans to buy Greenland.

Rubio made the remarks during a closed briefing, playing down the idea that the US could seize Greenland by force, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Sen. Lindsey Graham said the administration’s approach to Greenland “is all about negotiations,” adding that the US needs “legal control and legal protections” to justify building up the territory and putting Americans on the ground, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the White House said on Tuesday that the Trump administration was discussing a “range of options” for acquiring Greenland, including utilizing the US military.

“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 spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in response to Anadolu‘s inquiry.

“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,” Leavitt added.

The statement came following Trump’s repeated proposals to acquire the island for strategic purposes.

A day after the US military operation in Venezuela that captured President Nicolas Maduro Saturday, Trump renewed his call for a takeover of Greenland in the interest of “national security.”

“We need Greenland, from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he had said when asked about any potential US action against Greenland.

Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and has repeatedly rejected proposals suggesting any transfer of sovereignty to the US.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has urged Trump to “stop the threats.”

Senators Call for the Respect of Denmark’s Sovereignty

Republican and Democratic senators on Tuesday urged the Trump administration to respect Denmark’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying any attempt to pressure a NATO ally would undermine the alliance’s principles of self-determination.

Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Thom Tillis, co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate NATO Observer Group, said in a joint statement that Denmark has been a reliable ally, citing its military support after the Sept. 11 attacks and recent increases in its defense spending.

“When Denmark and Greenland make it clear that Greenland is not for sale, the United States must honor its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” the statement said.

“Any suggestion that our nation would subject a fellow NATO ally to coercion or external pressure undermines the very principles of self-determination that our Alliance exists to defend,” it said.

“With an active war in Ukraine and rising threats from Russia and China in the Arctic and Indo-Pacific, we cannot afford distractions or divisions within NATO,” said the statement.