What to watch as Trump’s team prepares for Denmark meeting

The Trump administration is preparing for a high-stakes meeting with Danish officials next week, seeking to discuss how the U.S. can acquire the world’s largest island.

The White House has spoken frequently about taking control of Greenland in the wake of a weekend military operation to depose Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, raising alarm in Europe about Washington’s territorial ambitions.

President Donald Trump, who has long coveted making Greenland a part of the United States, has said the mineral-rich and sparsely populated island is integral to national security and insisted he’s “very serious” about trying to acquire it.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has since urged Trump to “stop the threats,” while Greenland’s leader described the notion of U.S. control over the territory as a “fantasy.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that he intends to convene with senior government officials next week to discuss the situation. It comes after a request from Denmark’s foreign minister, Lokke Rasmussen, and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt.

CNBC takes a look at four key issues ahead of the meeting.

“I’m not here to talk about Denmark or military intervention,” Rubio said, before reiterating his plans to meet with Danish officials next week. “We’ll have conversations with them then, but I’m not adding things further … to that today.”

His comments came as the White House confirmed that Trump and his national security team were “actively” discussing a potential offer to buy Greenland — and that while diplomacy has always been the first option, all options, including military force, remain on the table.

Trump previously sought to buy Greenland in 2019 during his first term as U.S. president, only to be told the island was not for sale.

The prospect of U.S. military action in Greenland, meanwhile, triggered a strong response from Denmark’s Frederiksen.

“I believe that the U.S. president should be taken seriously when he says that he wants Greenland,” Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2 on Monday, according to a CNBC translation.

“But I also want to make it clear, that if the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops. That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War,” she added.

Top Republican and Democrat lawmakers have also pushed back on the idea of using military force to take over Greenland.

European leaders, who had previously been reluctant to exercise megaphone diplomacy in defense of Greenland, changed tack earlier in the week.

“The Kingdom of Denmark – including Greenland…