Military 'always an option' to achieve Trump's goal of controlling Greenland, White House says

The White House said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump is discussing options for acquiring Greenland, including potentially using the U.S. military, in a revival of his ambition to control the strategic island despite European objections.

Trump sees acquiring Greenland as a U.S. national security priority necessary to "deter our adversaries in the Arctic region," the White House said in a statement.

"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," the White House said.

Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.

Tillie Martinussen, a former Greenland lawmaker, says the continued talk from Trump and his administration about taking control is angering people living there.

"There's a lot of anger here … all over Greenland, not just in the capital, but everywhere," she told Britain's Channel 4 News on Tuesday.

Greenland's prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen has also signalled his displeasure with the pressure coming from Washington, while insisting on the need for good relations with the U.S.

"We are not in a situation where we think that there might be a takeover of the country overnight and that is why we are insisting that we want good co-operation," he said Monday night.

Leaders from major European powers and Canada rallied behind the Arctic territory on Tuesday, saying it belongs to its people.

"The future of Greenland and Denmark are decided solely by the people of Denmark," Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday, standing next to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the Canadian Embassy in Paris.

Carney also announced that Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand will visit Greenland in February.

Trump has also spoken extensively about having Canada join the U.S. as the 51st state, though Canadian leaders have consistently shot down such talk.

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

The strong opposition has not deterred Trump from reviewing how to make Greenland a U.S. hub in an area where there is growing interest from Russia and China. Trump's interest, initially voiced in 2019 during his first term in office, has been rekindled in recent days in the wake of the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.