An U.S. airman loads munitions at Pittufik Space Base in Greenland<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump<\/a> on Friday ramped up his rhetoric on Greenland<\/a>, saying the U.S. will take action to acquire the longtime ally.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don\u2019t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we\u2019re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor,\u201d Trump told reporters at the White House.<\/p>\n The remarks come days after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Trump could use the military<\/a> to \u201cpursue this important foreign policy goal.\u201d That came on the heels of major European allies issuing in a joint statement saying<\/a> they would \u201cnot stop defending\u201d the values of sovereignty and Greenland\u2019s territorial integrity.<\/p>\n Greenland is a semi-autonomous Danish territory<\/a> that\u2019s strategically important militarily and contains vast mineral wealth. The U.S. already has a military base on the island, and officials there have said they\u2019d accept an expanded military presence.<\/p>\n Asked by a reporter Friday why he hasn\u2019t accepted that offer, Trump said, \u201cWhen we own it, we defend it. You don\u2019t defend leases the same way. You have to own it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not going to allow Russia or China to occupy Greenland, and that\u2019s what\u2019s going to happen if we don\u2019t own it,\u201d he said during the public portion of a meeting with oil and gas executives at the White House.<\/p>\n As for what he\u2019d be willing to pay for the territory, Trump said, \u201cI\u2019m not talking about money for Greenland yet. I might talk about that, but we\u2019re going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n The continued pressure from the president comes a day after the top representatives to the U.S. from Denmark and Greenland met with White House officials<\/a> to seek a better understanding of U.S. policy, a source familiar with the discussions told NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland next week.<\/p>\n Greenland\u2019s representative to the U.S., Jacob Isbosethsen, also met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday and told NBC News afterward that \u201cGreenland is not for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n The leaders of Greenland’s five political parties issued a joint statement on Friday night calling for “the U.S.’s disdain for our country to end,” adding: “We do not want to be Americans, we do not want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders.”<\/p>\n “We must decide the future of our country ourselves, without pressure for a quick decision, delay or interference from other countries,” the leaders said.<\/p>\n Republican leaders on Capitol Hill have said it would be inappropriate<\/a> for the U.S. military to use force to take over the Arctic island.<\/p>\n