US and Danish officials are planning to hold talks this week on Greenland as Washington pushes to take control of the strategic Arctic territory from Denmark, according to media reports on Sunday, citing diplomatic sources.
The meeting, set for Wednesday, according to US-based broadcaster CBS News, follows remarks last week by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told Congress in a closed briefing that President Donald Trump was interested in buying the Danish territory.
On Tuesday, the White House said officials were considering a broad range of options to obtain Greenland, including the possible use of military force.
Sen Tim Kaine, who met with Danish officials last week, said on Sunday that he believes lawmakers from both parties would come together to oppose any military effort to seize Greenland.
“We're not going to do it the hard way, and we're not going to do it the easy way," he said, an apparent reference to an earlier comment by Trump.
"Either we're going to continue to work with Denmark as a sovereign nation that we're allied with, and we're not going to treat them as an adversary or as an enemy," the Democrat added.
Since a January 3 military operation in which the US forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the Trump administration has been more forceful in its rhetoric on "acquiring" Greenland, arguing that doing so is necessary for national security.
On Friday, the leaders of Greenland’s political parties reiterated their opposition to joining the US, saying: “We do not want to be Americans, we do not want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders.”
Speaking on Friday, Trump said: “We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbour.”
He added, again refusing to rule out a military option: “I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if we don’t do it the easy way, we will do it the hard way.”
Trump's comments have drawn widespread condemnation, with European countries in particular warning that such a move could mean the end of NATO.
