US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that President Donald Trump‘s proposal to purchase Greenland is “not a joke,” framing it as a serious move aligned with national interests.
“This is not a joke…this is not about acquiring land for the sake of it. This is in our national interest, and it needs to be solved,” Rubio said during an interview with journalist Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM show Thursday.
He said that Trump intends to pursue the acquisition of Greenland, which is currently an autonomous territory of Denmark.
“President Trump has put out there what he intends to do, which is to purchase it,” he added.
The top US diplomat acknowledged the sensitivity of publicly discussing such a proposal, noting that negotiations might be better handled through formal diplomatic channels.
“How something like that is approached…is probably done better in the appropriate forums,” Rubio said. “Doing it publicly puts the other side in a tough spot domestically.”
Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953 but is currently a self-governing territory of Denmark. It has attracted Trump’s interest due to its strategic location and vast mineral resources.
The Financial Times reported last week that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Trump engaged in a tense 45-minute phone call on the issue, leaving officials in Copenhagen deeply concerned.
Trump first floated the idea of acquiring Greenland during his first term in office, an idea that Denmark rejected outright. However, his return to the White House has revived fears of a more aggressive push to secure control over the island nation.