US Secretary Of State Marco Rubio To Meet Danish Officials Next Week As Tensions Over Greenland Intensify

(MENAFN- Live Mint) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that he is set to meet Danish officials next week, but gave no indication that Washington plans to drop President Donald Trump's stated desire of gaining control of Greenland, news agency Reuters reported.

Tensions rose after the United States carried out a large-scale military strike on Caracas on Saturday, leading to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

At least 40 people, including military personnel and civilians, were killed in the US attack, and has subsequently rekindled worries in Denmark and among its European allies that Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, might face a similar situation, the news agency stated.

Is Trump planning to acquire Greenland?

The White House revealed on Tuesday that Trump has been discussing options for acquiring the strategic Arctic island, including potential use of the US military to do so, despite strong objections from European countries.

Speaking of Denmark's offer to discuss the situation in Greenland, Rubio told reporters on Wednesday,“I'll be meeting with them next week. We'll have those conversations with them then.”

When asked whether Trump is planning for Washington to buy Greenland, Rubio responded by stating that this had always been the president's intent.

Also Read | Trump questions NATO's reliability as allies push back on Greenland threats

“If the president identifies a threat to the national security of the United States, every president retains the option to address it through military means. As a diplomat, which is what I am now, and what we work on, we always prefer to settle it in different ways - that included in Venezuela,” Rubio told reporters.

Trump, who first raised the idea of taking control of Greenland in 2019 during his first term, has argued that the island is important to US military strategy. He also accused Denmark of not doing enough to protect it, Reuters reported.

The US and Denmark are both NATO members and a US military takeover of Greenland has high possibility of sending shockwaves through the entire alliance.

Status of Maduro and his wife

Maduro and his wife were flown to New York on the same day of the attack. The couple later appeared in federal court in New York on Monday on drug conspiracy charge, however they have pleaded not guilty.

Also Read | Fear grips Cubans after US unseats Maduro in Venezuela, amid Trump threats

Meanwhile, Maduro told the judge that he had been kidnapped, NBC News reported on Wednesday.

Speaking of the situation, Trump said that Maduro and his wife“will soon face the full might of American justice and stand trial on American soil” for their alleged role in drug trafficking.

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