WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that discussions with Denmark and Greenland on using the island for collective defence are progressing well, as lawmakers pressed him on the strategic stakes.
At a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Representative Sarah McBride noted that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark; Rubio replied, “For now,” underscoring sensitivities after former President Donald Trump’s public push to acquire the territory. That proposal strained relations between Washington and Copenhagen and drew wider concern in Europe, though discussions have since shifted into diplomatic channels.
Asked whether the United States needs to “own land within NATO to defend it,” Rubio said the U.S. is engaged in ongoing talks with Denmark and Greenland about Greenland’s role in broader missile-defence and collective-security planning. He said consultations occur monthly and expressed optimism that there would be “pretty good news” in time.
Rubio echoed Trump’s criticism that existing basing agreements in Greenland fall short, suggesting that control of territory could simplify defence obligations, while describing current negotiations as moving in a constructive direction.