Rubio Tells Lawmakers Trump Aims to Buy Greenland, Downplays Military Action

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that recent administration threats against Greenland didn't signal an imminent invasion and that the goal is to buy the island from Denmark, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Rubio's statements, which were made Monday during a closed briefing, come as the White House has been offering increasingly belligerent statements about controlling the island. President Trump and senior administration officials have publicly declined to rule out seizing the territory by force.

"President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief's disposal."