00:00The White House is now openly acknowledging what had mostly lived between the lines that President Trump is actively weighing options to acquire Greenland and that using the U.S. military is not off the table.
00:14This comes just days after the U.S. operation in Venezuela and the Greenland noise triggering alarm bells across Congress and among America's closest allies.
00:24Greenland is massive, resource rich, strategically positioned between the U.S., Europe and Russia.
00:31Trump says the stakes are simple.
00:34We need Greenland from a national security situation.
00:38More specifically, the president wants to keep China and Russia's influence on Arctic shipping around Greenland in check.
00:46But Denmark, a NATO ally, says the takeover talk crosses a dangerous line.
00:50Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says the issue must be taken seriously, warning that any U.S. military move against Greenland could effectively end NATO as we know it.
01:02That concern is now being echoed on Capitol Hill.
01:05Here's Virginia Senator Mark Warner.
01:07Does anyone really think that NATO would still exist if America violated the territorial integrity of a NATO ally?
01:16It's totally counter to the whole concept of NATO.
01:19I think it's very dangerous kind of language.
01:22Still, the White House is not backing off.
01:25Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said in a statement Tuesday the president views Greenland as a national security priority and that all options remain on the table.
01:34On CNN, senior adviser Stephen Miller went even further.
01:38The United States should have Greenland as part of the United States.
01:42There's no need to even think or talk about this in the context that you're asking of a military operation.
01:49Nobody's going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.
01:54Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers Monday the administration is exploring a purchase, not an invasion.
02:01But sources tell CNN the State Department has already been asked to assess Greenland's resources and the cost of acquiring them.
02:08For now, Greenland's government says it wants direct talks with the United States.
02:14European leaders are closing ranks behind Denmark.
02:17And lawmakers from both parties in Washington are warning the rhetoric alone could have real consequences.
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