The Trump administration is "actively" discussing the potential purchase of Greenland, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, saying the US president is prioritising a diplomatic solution but is "(keeping) his options open."
Greenland has catapulted to the forefront of international headlines in the aftermath of the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with the Trump administration renewing his interest in obtaining the Arctic island.
US officials have repeatedly said it is a national security imperative.
READ MORE: Trump threats against Greenland pose new, potentially unprecedented challenge to NATO
An acquisition of Greenland, Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT), is "something that's currently being actively discussed by the president and his national security team".
She described Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, as "advantageous for America's national security".
Leavitt was pressed on why Trump has not ruled out military action to take over Greenland, a possibility that has prompted significant pushback from Denmark and other NATO allies.
"All options are always on the table for President Trump as he examines what's in the best interest of the United States, but I will just say that the president's first option always has been diplomacy," she said.
The situation has been clouded by reports this week of increased US military aircraft arriving at American bases in England, including RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, reports AP.
READ MORE: US military action in Venezuela is both a blessing and a curse for Putin
Meanwhile, leading Republican members of Congress are publicly urging the Trump administration to cease any further threats of military action in Greenland.
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska offered perhaps the strongest criticism of the White House's formal declaration on Tuesday that officials were still considering the use of the US military to take Greenland.
"I hate the rhetoric around either acquiring Greenland by purchase or by force. And you know, I don't use the word hate very often, but I think that it is very, very unsettling," she said after a closed-door briefing with top officials from the Trump administration.
House Speaker Mike Johnson downplayed the Trump administration's talk on acquiring Greenland in a separate press conference.
"All this stuff about military action and all that, I don't think it's a possibility. I don't think anybody's seriously considered that," he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he will be meeting with Danish officials next week, following renewed US interest in taking over Greenland.
His remarks come after Greenland's foreign minister and the Danish foreign minister requested a meeting with the top US diplomat.
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