United States President Donald Trump is discussing a “range of options” to acquire Greenland, including the possible use of the military, The Guardian quoted the White House as saying.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was quoted by the newspaper as saying that “acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States and it is vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region”.

Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, a US ally.

Denmark and the US are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance of 32 North American and European countries that promise to protect each other if any one of them is attacked.

While Greenland is self-governed, it relies on the Danish government for defence and foreign policy.

The US already operates a military base on the island.

Trump has repeatedly raised the idea of acquiring Greenland from Denmark. He first floated the idea in 2019 during his first term as the president.

The fresh focus on Greenland came after the US’ military operation in Venezuela. On Saturday, the US military abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, for alleged drug trafficking.

Greenland has repeatedly said that it does not want to be part of the US.

On Tuesday, leaders from major European countries and Canada rallied behind the Arctic territory, saying that Greenland “belongs to its people”.

On Sunday, Trump threatened military action against Colombia and Mexico after Venezuela

Also Read: Greenland: Trump’s very serious bid to buy the island is for resources, strategic value