Trump's Green Card for Greenland? Rubio to visit Denmark; high-stakes meet on cards

United States secretary of state Marco Rubio on Wednesday said that he has planned a meeting with Denmark next week. "I'll be meeting with them next week," Rubio told news agency AP.This comes a day after several European leaders on Tuesday pushed back US President Donald Trump's threat of seeking an American takeover of Greenland, issuing a joint statement saying that the mineral-rich Arctic island "belongs to its people."

Leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom joined Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen in asserting that Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.In their joint statement, the leaders said that, "Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and it is critical for international and transatlantic security.""Nato has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European allies are stepping up. We and many other allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries," they added.Further stressing that Denmark, including Greenland, is part of Nato , the leaders said, "Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with Nato allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders."

The remarks come amid renewed concern following recent US military action in Venezuela and Trump’s repeated comments about Greenland, which is rich in minerals, including rare earths, and occupies a strategic Arctic location as melting ice opens new shipping routes.Greenland also lies along the shortest missile route between Russia and the United States, and already hosts a US military installation.Washington operates the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland under a 1951 defence agreement, supporting missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance operations for the US and Nato .Trump on Sunday sought to downplay immediate concerns, saying, "we’ll worry about Greenland in about two months." He has repeatedly called for US jurisdiction over Greenland and has not ruled out the use of force.