President Donald Trump remains committed to the NATO alliance, even as he and his national security team are in active discussions about the possible purchase of Greenland by the United States, White House spokeswoman Carolyn Levitt said.
Trump, who has long wanted to take over Greenland for its mineral resources, has raised tensions with NATO allies by not ruling out the possibility of taking the territory by force.
Greenland, through its connection with Denmark, is considered part of NATO, Reuters reminds.
"All options are always on the table for President Trump," Levit told reporters at a White House briefing. "The president's first option has always been diplomacy".
Levitt stated that a possible takeover of Greenland would give the United States greater control over the Arctic region and the ability to counter aggression in a strategically important area.
"The president has been very open and clear, both to you and to the world, that he believes it is in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region, and that is why his team is currently discussing what a potential purchase might look like," she said.
Trump said earlier today that the US will support NATO and that Russia and China are only afraid of the alliance as long as the United States is a member.
"We will always be there for NATO, even if they are not there for us," he wrote in a post on the Trut soushal website.
Levitt said she had not heard that Trump questioned Denmark's right to Greenland.
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