At no point has anyone in the U.S. government broached the subject with the foreign diplomats or leaders in Greenland or Denmark about a possible takeover of the Arctic island, a new report said.
Denmark’s Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen and Greenland’s head of representation to the United States, Jacob Isbosethsen, spoke with President Donald Trump's advisors on Thursday, reported CNN's Kylie Atwood and Natasha Bertrand.
Trump has been advocating the "purchase" of Greenland for years, but neither Greenland nor Denmark wants to sell the island or have it become part of the United States. While Trump has publicly commented on the matter, no one in his government has approached Greenland or Denmark to discuss it, diplomats told CNN.
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the administration was "actively" discussing buying the island, but officials call the assertion false.
While Trump officials have gone so far as to tease the idea of a military takeover of Greenland, "behind the scenes the US’ relationship with Nuuk and Copenhagen remained business-as-usual for most of last year," CNN wrote, citing its diplomatic sources.
Greenland said that Trump administration officials made it clear to them last summer that there was "no policy directive" for the U.S. to discuss taking the island. So, when Trump announced a special envoy to Greenland in December with the aim of making the island "a part of the U.S." government officials were "blindsided," CNN said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark next week.
The report suggested that leaders will likely focus on Greenland's continued willingness to work with the U.S. on national security as a NATO ally and on supporting existing mineral extraction efforts.