British News Agency

The meeting, which has not been officially announced, comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress last week that President Trump is interested in purchasing Danish territory. The White House said on Tuesday that officials had discussed a wide range of options for acquiring Greenland, including a forcible takeover by the U.S. military.

While Rubio downplayed the threat of using military force in his comments to reporters, Trump reiterated the possibility on Sunday night, saying, “If we don’t take Greenland, Russia or China will, and I won’t allow that.”

On Sunday aboard Air Force One, Trump repeated his earlier statement made on Friday: “If we don’t do it the easy way, we’ll do it the hard way.” He added, “I would love to make a deal with them. That would be easier. But one way or another, we will get Greenland.”

In an interview published last week, Trump told the New York Times that ownership of Greenland — the world’s largest island — is important because he “feels it is psychologically necessary for success.” Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States should acquire Greenland for defensive purposes.