Rubio tells lawmakers US intends to buy Greenland

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that the United States intends to pursue the purchase of Greenland, reinforcing President Donald Trump’s position that control of the Arctic territory is a national security priority.

Rubio’s comments to Congress come as the administration continues to antagonize European allies on Greenland’s strategic value, while stopping short of committing to military action. The White House has said that all options remain available to the president but stressed that the current focus is on a financial transaction, according to an exclusive from the Wall Street Journal.

“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States,” the White House said in a statement Tuesday. “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 comments echo statements Rubio made earlier this year. In a January 2025 interview with Megyn Kelly, Rubio dismissed suggestions that Trump’s interest in Greenland was unserious.

“This is not a joke, like, what he’s saying is pretty accurate,” Rubio said at the time. “People have been talking about it for years. This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land. This is in our national interest, and it needs to be solved. President Trump’s put out there what he intends to do, which is to purchase it.”

Trump has continually argued that Greenland’s location is critical to countering Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic. Speaking to reporters recently, the president said the island is “so strategic” and cited the presence of foreign vessels in surrounding waters as a security concern.