Washington: US President Donald Trump has been discussing "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, including use of the military, the White House said. The White House said acquiring Greenland - a semi-autonomous region of Denmark – was a "national security priority". The statement came hours after European leaders issued a joint statement rallying behind Denmark, which has been pushing back against Trump's ambitions for the Arctic island.

Trump repeated over the weekend that the US "needed" Greenland for security reasons, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to warn that any attack by the US would spell the end of Nato. The White House said on Tuesday: "The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief's disposal." Nato is a trans-Atlantic military group in which allies are expected to go to each other's aid in case of external attacks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also told lawmakers at a classified briefing on Capitol Hill on Monday that the Trump administration did not plan to invade Greenland, but he mentioned instead buying the island from Denmark. Afterwards, a state department spokesperson said the US "is eager to build lasting commercial relationships that benefit Americans and the people of Greenland".

"Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations," the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark said in a joint statement.