Trump's team races to come up with a Greenland takeover plan — here's what's at stake

The Trump medication is preparing for a high-stakes meeting with Danish officials adjacent week, seeking to sermon however the U.S. tin get the world's largest island.

The White House has spoken frequently astir taking power of Greenland successful the aftermath of a weekend subject operation to depose Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, raising alarm successful Europe astir Washington's territorial ambitions.

President Donald Trump, who has agelong coveted making Greenland a portion of the United States, has said the mineral-rich and sparsely populated land is integral to nationalist security and insisted he's "very serious" astir trying to get it.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has since urged Trump to "stop the threats," portion Greenland's person described the conception of U.S. power implicit the territory arsenic a "fantasy."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that helium intends to convene with elder authorities officials adjacent week to sermon the situation. It comes aft a petition from Denmark's Foreign Minister Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt.

CNBC takes a look astatine 4 cardinal issues up of the meeting.

Speaking connected Wednesday, Rubio was asked by a newsman if helium would retreat the enactment of utilizing the U.S. subject to instrumentality implicit Greenland.

"I'm not present to speech astir Denmark oregon subject intervention," Rubio said, earlier reiterating his plans to conscionable with Danish officials adjacent week. "We'll person conversations with them then, but I'm not adding things further ... to that today."

His comments came arsenic the White House confirmed that Trump and his nationalist information squad were "actively" discussing a imaginable connection to bargain Greenland — and that portion diplomacy has ever been the archetypal option, each options, including subject force, stay connected the table.

Trump antecedently sought to bargain Greenland successful 2019 during his archetypal word arsenic U.S. president, lone to beryllium told the land was not for sale.

The imaginable of U.S. subject enactment successful Greenland, meanwhile, triggered a beardown effect from Denmark's Frederiksen.

"I judge that the U.S. president should beryllium taken earnestly erstwhile helium says that helium wants Greenland," Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2 connected Monday, according to a CNBC translation.

"But I besides privation to marque it clear, that if the United States chooses to onslaught different NATO state militarily, past everything stops. That is, including our NATO and frankincense the information that has been provided since the extremity of the Second World War," she added.

Top Republican and Democrat lawmakers person besides pushed backmost connected the thought of utilizing subject unit to instrumentality implicit Greenland.

European leaders, who had antecedently been reluctant to workout megaphone diplomacy successful defence of Greenland, changed tack earlier successful the week.

"The Kingdom of Denmark – including Greenland – is portion of NATO," a associated missive published by respective European leaders said connected Tuesday.

"Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to determine connected matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," they added.

Rasmus Sinding Søndergaard, elder researcher with the overseas argumentation and diplomacy section astatine the Danish Institute for International Studies, said diplomatic engagement should beryllium the superior absorption for European policymakers erstwhile they beryllium down with Rubio adjacent week.

Other avenues for European lawmakers to see see further robust governmental statements, lobbying U.S. officials who bash not privation to spot immoderate subject enactment successful Greenland and, potentially, threats of economical retaliation, Søndergaard said.

He conceded, however, that determination were apt limitations for Europe successful lawsuit of a worst-case script wherever the U.S. seeks to instrumentality Greenland by force, citing different information concerns for European countries, namely Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

Opinion polls person antecedently shown that Greenlanders overwhelmingly oppose U.S. control, portion a beardown bulk enactment independency from Denmark.

Tony Sage, CEO of Critical Metals, which is processing 1 of the world's largest uncommon world assets successful confederate Greenland, said 1 facet of the concern that seems to person been overlooked is that astir Greenlanders favour independence.

"I judge — having a batch of acquisition successful Greenland implicit the past 2 years, personally — but our partner, who's been determination 20 years, knows the radical precise well. They're precise staunch, and they privation independence," Sage told CNBC's "The China Connection" connected Thursday.

"So, I judge they volition spell for independency erstwhile they denote their referendum, and that's wherever Denmark and the U.S. person truly got to travel to grips with the situation," helium continued. "Who's going to beryllium the biggest benefactor of that independency if they, successful fact, bash spell up with the referendum."

Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory of astir 57,000 people, was granted greater autonomy implicit its affairs successful 2009 done a self-government act, though Denmark remains liable for the island's overseas and defence policies.

The enactment besides gave the land the close to clasp an independency referendum. Most Greenlandic governmental parties enactment independence, though they are divided implicit the gait with which to scope it.

In mounting his sights connected the immense and sparsely populated Arctic land erstwhile again, Trump suggested that Russia and China airs a information situation to the U.S. successful Greenland.

"It's truthful strategic," Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One connected Sunday. "Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships each implicit the place. We request Greenland from the standpoint of nationalist security."

Analysts, however, person questioned Trump's assertion that Greenland indispensable beryllium acquired connected nationalist information grounds, portion European leaders person said Arctic information is an nonsubjective that indispensable beryllium achieved collectively.

Marion Messmer, manager of the International Security Programme astatine London's Chatham House deliberation tank, acknowledged that it is existent to accidental that some Russia and China person accrued their subject activities successful the Arctic successful caller years — and, if Moscow launched missiles astatine the U.S., they would apt alert implicit Greenland.

"However, what is not wide is wherefore Washington needs afloat power implicit Greenland to support itself," Messmer said in a written investigation published Tuesday.

She cited the information that the U.S. already has a beingness astatine Pituffik Space Base, arsenic good arsenic a decades-old defence statement with Denmark that allows Washington to proceed to usage it.