Saying President Trump's Interest In Buying Greenland Was Not A Joke, Foreign Minister Rubio: This Is A National Interest

JAKARTA - United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump's interest in buying Greenland was not a joke because it was a national interest that had to be resolved.

In an interview on "The Megyn Kelly Show" SiriusXM Thursday, Foreign Minister Rubio said President Trump wanted to buy Greenland and did not rule out the possibility of forced the military to acquire it so as not to remove influence.

"This is not a joke," Foreign Minister Rubio said.

"This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of controlling territory. This is our national interest and needs to be resolved," he said.

Foreign Minister Rubio further said the Arctic would be important for shipping routes, adding the United States should be able to defend it, warning China might try to develop its presence.

When asked if the US would have Greenland in four years, Rubio said: "Obviously that's the president's priority and he has put it forward. We are not yet in a position to discuss exactly how we will proceed tactically. What I think you can believe is, four years from now, our interests in the Arctic will be more secure."

President Trump has expressed interest in making Greenland, Denmark's autonomous region, part of Uncle Sam's country since his re-election in November.

He did not rule out the possibility of using military or economic forces to persuade Denmark to hand it over.

Meanwhile, Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede has repeatedly said the island is not for sale and it is up to its people to decide on their future.