WASHINGTON—U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 9 reiterated his interest in taking over Greenland, citing increasing threats from Russia and China in the Arctic. His remarks came in response to growing criticism from European and NATO allies.

Trump told reporters on Jan. 9, during a meeting with oil company executives at the White House, that the United States will not tolerate having Russia or China as a neighbor.

When asked about a potential purchase price for Greenland, Trump replied: “I’m not talking about money for Greenland yet. I might talk about that. But right now, we are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.”

The president said that if the United States doesn’t take action now, “Russia or China will take over Greenland.”

“So, we’re going to be doing something with Greenland, either the nice way or the more difficult way,” Trump said.

Since capturing former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a military operation on Jan. 3, the Trump administration has renewed its talk of acquiring Greenland, a Danish territory that the president has said is vital to U.S. national security.

The latest discussion of the proposed acquisition began after top White House adviser Stephen Miller told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Jan. 5 that “nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.”

While Trump and his officials have expressed interest in purchasing Greenland, they have not ruled out the possibility of using military force, which has drawn criticism from NATO allies, many Democrats, and some Republicans.

In a joint statement issued on Jan. 6, the leaders of Greenland, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK wrote that “it is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

This week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that a Greenland purchase is “currently being actively discussed by the president and his national security team.”

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill on Jan. 7, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that interest in acquiring Greenland is not new for Trump or in American history, noting that President Harry Truman sought to acquire it. He also said the administration wants to keep the option of force—a tool that the Trump administration has consistently used in foreign policy negotiations over the years—on the table.

“I’m not talking about Greenland, I’m just talking about globally—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,” Rubio said.

The U.S. military presence in Greenland includes Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base. The Arctic site, which has hosted Americans since World War II, was visited by Vice President JD Vance in March 2025.

“By the way, I’m a fan of Denmark, too,” Trump said during the meeting. “The fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn’t mean that they own the land.”

Trump added: “If you take a look outside of Greenland right now, there are Russian destroyers, there are Chinese destroyers—and bigger—there are Russian submarines all over the place. We’re not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland.”

Nathan Worcester contributed to this report.