Marco Rubio reignites US pursuit of Greenland
Quick Look
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed ongoing talks with Denmark and Greenland regarding collective defense and missile defense on the island.
- This follows President Trump's repeated assertions of Greenland's strategic importance and desire for US acquisition, despite strong opposition from Greenlanders.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reignited the flame over the US's continued pursuit of Greenland.
While testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, he was asked by congresswoman Sarah McBride whether he was "aware that Greenland is indeed part of Denmark".
"For now," Rubio replied.
Greenland has been a hot topic since US President Donald Trump's return to the White House, with the president repeatedly arguing that Washington needs to acquire the Danish territory to bolster national defence.
"This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America," Trump said of Greenland while speaking at the Davos World Economic Forum in January. "That's our territory. It is therefore a core national security interest."
Trump has also warned that China or Russia could take control of the island if the US did not act.
On Wednesday, Rubio told the committee that the administration was involved in talks with both Greenland and Denmark over using the island for "collective defence," saying that it was key to missile defence.
"We're involved in those talks right now. I think we're in a good place on it," Rubio said.
The US is reported to have had 17 military facilities and more than 10,000 troops on Greenland at the height of the Cold War. It currently operates just one base on the island, the Pituffik Space Base, the US Department of Defense's northernmost installation.
The US Space Force says Pituffik is used for missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance missions.
It comes after Trump's special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, said in May that he believed it was the time for the US to "puts its footprint back" on the island.
The Republican governor had previously sparked backlash among Greenlanders after he said his goal as envoy was to make the territory a part of the US.
The leaders of five political parties in Greenland’s parliament released a joint statement in January on the matter, making their position clear to both Washington and Copenhagen.
"We do not want to be Americans, we do not want to be Danes; we want to be Greenlanders," it said.
