1:00Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio exited the Eisenhower Executive Office Building following a discussion with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loeke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt in Washington, Jan. 14, 2026. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio convened at the White House with leading diplomats from Denmark and its semiautonomous territory, Greenland, amid rising tensions as President Donald Trump has made threats to “acquire” the island, potentially through military means.
In a social media update just hours before their meeting, Trump reiterated his ambition for U.S. control over Greenland.
"The United States requires Greenland for National Security. It is essential for the Golden Dome we are constructing. NATO ought to be spearheading our efforts to obtain it," Trump stated.
"NATO becomes significantly more powerful and efficient with Greenland under the control of the UNITED STATES. Anything less is intolerable," Trump further indicated.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio departed the Eisenhower Executive Office Building after a meeting with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loeke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt in Washington, Jan. 14, 2026. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
When questioned about his keen personal interest in the planet’s largest island, Trump frequently references its unique minerals and other natural resources he claims are vital for U.S. national security.
"One way or another, we will possess Greenland," Trump informed reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. He conveyed to the New York Times last week that his aspiration to take over the territory is "what I believe is psychologically necessary for success."
Concurrently, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen asserted that Trump’s suggestion of using U.S. military force to claim Greenland would signify "the end of NATO," as Denmark, a NATO ally like the U.S., is bound to defend the island, along with other European NATO partners.
Andrius Kubilius, the European Union’s defense commissioner, echoed her serious hypothetical scenario, arguing that Europe would have to confront the U.S. if Greenland’s NATO allies were compelled to safeguard it from an American takeover effort.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt at the Danish embassy before a meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio in Washington, January 14, 2026. Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
A protestor waves a Greenland flag during a demonstration under the motto “Greenland is for Greenlanders” in front of the United States embassy in Copenhagen, January 14, 2026. Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has minimized the diplomatic concerns, stating that the alliance is "not at all" in crisis and provided reassurances it remains focused on securing the Arctic against advances from China and Russia, an area Trump has claimed Greenland and Denmark have neglected.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen mentioned that the purpose of Wednesday’s meeting was to gain clarity on the U.S. stance following weeks of intense rhetoric from Trump and his deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, who has asserted that the U.S. possesses a "right" to Greenland and has notably refrained from dismissing the use of military force to attain it.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com