Trump discussing ‘range of options’ to acquire Greenland, White House says

Donald Trump has been discussing a “range of options” to acquire Greenland, the White House has said, after Sir Keir Starmer joined European leaders in insisting the US president must climb down from threats to take over the territory.

Using the US military is “always an option” for the president to consider, a statement released by the White House also said.

Mr Trump has insisted that taking over Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, is vital for his country’s national security.

It prompted European leaders, including the Prime Minister, to rally behind Denmark and insist they will “not stop defending” Greenland’s territorial integrity.

But the White House appeared unbowed by the joint push-back from the US’s allies, insisting that acquiring Greenland ‌is a “national security priority ‌of the United States”, in a statement reported by various news outlets.

It added: “The ‍president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important ‌foreign policy goal, ⁠and of course, utilising the ‌US military is ‍always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”

The Prime Minister and leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark earlier called the US, as a Nato ally, an “essential partner” in defending Arctic security and stressed that Greenland “belongs to its people” in a joint statement.

Sir Keir and the other leaders said: “Nato has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European allies are stepping up.

“We and many other allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries.

“The Kingdom of Denmark – including Greenland – is part of Nato.

“Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with Nato allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”

They added: “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that efforts to take over the territory by force would mean the end of the Nato military alliance.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller had cast doubt on the legitimacy of Denmark’s territorial claim over Greenland in an interview with CNN.

He also said there was “no need” to consider whether the US might carry out a military operation to take it over because “nobody is going to fight the US militarily over the future of Greenland”.

His wife, Katie Miller, a former political adviser, was among the Trump supporters who appeared to renew calls for the US to annex Greenland not long after the US raid on Venezuela over the weekend.

She posted a picture of the island territory in the colours of the American flag alongside the word “soon”.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman sidestepped questions about whether the UK would be willing to mount a military fight to defend the territory, saying he did not want to “get into hypotheticals”.

Asked if Sir Keir sees Mr Trump as a threat to European security, he said “no”.

Sir Keir has previously said the UK “stands with” Denmark on Greenland.

On Monday, he told reporters that the territory’s future was a matter for the people of Greenland and Denmark alone.

Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, described the White House’s statement on Tuesday as “unhinged”.

On social media, he added: “A 75 year old alliance in Nato is being trashed to serve one man’s ego.

“Trump is not a reliable ally, he’s a reckless bully. Starmer needs a plan B to stand up for Britain and our allies.”