Trump Says Annexation of Greenland ‘Will Happen’ As NATO Secretary General Looks On: ‘We Need It’

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he believes the annexation of Greenland “will happen,” as the country “needs it” for “international security.”

Speaking to press alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said he will continue seeking to absorb the territory currently controlled by Denmark, another NATO ally, because “we have a lot of our favorite players cruising around the coast and we need to be careful.”

Rutte then interrupted Trump, saying he would “leave this discussion aside” as he didn’t want to “drag NATO into that.” He did however acknowledge that “the Chinese are using these routes, and we know that the Russians are arming.” “We have a lack of icebreakers, so to have the seven Arctic countries outside Russia working together under U.S. leadership is very important.”

Trump has maintained the issue alive in the public conversation, repeatedly claiming the U.S. will annex Greenland and saying last week he would do it “one way or another.”

“As I made clear during my Joint Address to Congress, the United States strongly supports the people of Greenland’s right to determine their own future,” Trump said in a post in his social media platform, Truth Social.

“We will continue to KEEP YOU SAFE, as we have since World War II,” he continued, referring to the a 1951 agreement between the U.S. and Denmark to protect the autonomous island.

During his March 3 address, Trump claimed he strongly supports the country’s right to determine its own future while reiterating the U.S. needs Greenland “for national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it.”

Greenland’s likely new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, rejected the notion on Wednesday, saying Greenlanders must be allowed to decide their own future, even independence from Denmark.

“We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our own independence in the future,” Nielsen said. Polls show that most Greenlanders oppose being annexed by the U.S.

House Democrats launched this week efforts to block Trump from using military force to occupy Canada, Greenland and Panama. The bill, formally called H.R. 1936, was introduced by Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) to “prohibit funds for the Armed Forces to engage in operations to invade or seize territory from Canada, the Republic of Panama, or the self-governing territory of Greenland.” It was co-sponsored by eight Democrats.