Trump advisers meet with Denmark, Greenland envoys, Danish official says

Summary

• US officials met with Danish and Greenlandic envoys on January 8 to discuss US interest in acquiring Greenland.
• The US considers military force and purchase to acquire Greenland for national security, despite Greenland's rejection.
• European leaders and Canada support Greenland's right to self-determination, raising concerns about US actions and NATO unity.

WASHINGTON - Aides to US President Donald Trump met at the White House on Jan 8 with envoys from Denmark and Greenland, a Danish government official said as Mr Trump pushes to bring the island territory under US control.

Denmark’s Ambassador Jesper Moller Sorensen and Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland’s chief representative to Washington, met with officials at the White House National Security Council, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The White House did not immediately confirm the meeting.

The talks were described as an effort to get more clarity on US comments over the past week about Greenland.

The White House said on Jan 6 that the US is considering a range of options to acquire Greenland, and that US military force was among the options. The purchase of the territory is also an option, US officals said.

President Donald Trump has said the US needs Greenland for national security.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet with Danish officials next week in Washington.

Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States. Leaders from major European powers and Canada rallied behind the Arctic territory on Jan 6, saying it belongs to its people.

A US military seizure of Greenland from a longtime ally, Denmark, would send shock waves through the NATO alliance and deepen the divide between Trump and European leaders. REUTERS