US President Donald Trump has "actively discussed" purchasing Greenland from Denmark, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.

Since the start of his second term in January last year, Trump has repeatedly said the US needs to control the resource-rich Arctic territory, which is part of Denmark, for national security reasons.

As a fellow member of NATO, Denmark is an ally of the US.

Trump's insistence that Washington will take over Greenland "one way or another" has alarmed America's allies in Europe, particularly in the wake of the US attack on Venezuela.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said this week that a US attack on another NATO country would spell the end of the alliance and "therefore post-World War II security."

What did the White House say about Trump's Greenland plans?

At a press conference, Leavitt said the purchase of Greenland was being "actively discussed" by Trump and his national security team, in response to a question about a potential offer to buy the territory from Denmark.

"His team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like," Leavitt added.

The White House spokeswoman repeated that Trump views the purchase as being in "the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region."

Leavitt said that while Trump's "first option, always, has been diplomacy," the US president would not rule out using military force against Denmark because "that is not something this president does."

"All options are always on the table for President Trump," she said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said separately on Wednesday that he plans to meet with Danish officials next week, after Copenhagen requested talks to address Trump's threats of taking over Greenland.

Rubio did not specify when or where the meeting would be held.

How have Denmark and Europe reacted to Trump's threats?

Denmark and Greenland, as well as European partners including Germany, France and the United Kingdom, have strongly rejected Trump's advances.

On Wednesday, the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, reiterated the EU's "full support" for Denmark and Greenland, and said the bloc would not accept violations of international law.

"Greenland belongs to its people. Nothing can ⁠be decided about Denmark and about Greenland without Denmark, ‌or without Greenland," Costa said.

This week, Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said he was frustrated with how the issue was being played out through the media rather than through direct talks.

His remarks came a day after Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said in an interview that "nobody is going to fight the US militarily over the future of Greenland." Miller also questioned the basis of Denmark's territorial claim over Greenland.

Greenland was a Danish colony for hundreds of years until 1953, and is now a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with the right to seek independence under international law.

Greenland is home to 57,000 people. According to a survey in January 2025, about 56% said they want independence from Denmark.

But only 6% of Greenlanders said they want to join the US.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery