White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a press conference in Washington, DC on January 7, 2026. PHOTO: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
President Donald Trump remains committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization even as he and his national security team are in “active discussions” about the US purchase of Greenland, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Trump, who has long wanted to acquire Greenland for the island's mineral resources, has created tensions with NATO member states, not ruling out the possibility of taking the territory by force.
Greenland, through its connection with Denmark, is considered part of NATO.
“All options are always on the table for President Trump as he evaluates what is best for the interests of the United States,” Leavitt told reporters at a White House press conference. “I want to emphasize that the president's first option has always been diplomacy,” Trump's spokeswoman added.
Leavitt also said the acquisition of Greenland would give the United States greater control over the Arctic region and the ability to counter aggression in a strategic area.
“The president has been very open and clear with all of you and the world that he believes it is in the United States' interest to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region, and that is why his team is currently discussing what a potential acquisition would look like,” she said.
The acquisition of the island “is something that the president and his national security team are actively discussing,” Leavitt added.
Trump said on Wednesday that the US will continue to support NATO and that Russia and China fear the alliance only as long as the United States is a member of the alliance.
However, the White House leader said he doubted that “NATO would be with us if we really needed them,” launching fresh criticism of the security alliance.
Trump, virulent message to NATO: “I doubt they would be with us if we really needed them”
“We will always stand with NATO, even if they don't stand with us,” Trump wrote in the message published on his social network, Truth Social, a day after the White House explicitly admitted that the US does not rule out a military intervention to take Greenland from Denmark, which is a NATO member.
Karoline Leavitt said during the press conference that she had not heard Trump question Denmark's claims to Greenland.
Status of Greenland
Greenland has been part of Denmark for over 600 years, and currently has the status of a semi-sovereign territory. This vast island, but with only about 56,000 inhabitants, has an economy dependent on fishing and is heavily funded by the government in Copenhagen to the tune of about one billion dollars a year, equivalent to about half of its budget, although it has large natural resources, including oil and natural gas.
After the Second World War, the then American president, Harry Truman, also tried to buy Greenland with a hundred million dollars paid in gold, considering it a territory of great strategic importance in the context of the Cold War that had just begun, but the Danish government refused the offer.
With its Pituffik air base, Greenland is important for the US and for the American ballistic missile early warning system, as the shortest route between Europe and North America passes through this island, notes Agerpres.
Washington has expressed interest in expanding its military presence there, including by deploying radars to monitor the Atlantic waters where Russian warships and nuclear submarines enter.
Also Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would meet with Danish officials next week to discuss Greenland, without giving further details.
Denmark has so far categorically rejected the idea of ceding Greenland to the US in any way.
Several of Denmark's European allies, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statement on Tuesday affirming their support for Denmark and describing Arctic security as “a priority” for Europe.
