U.S. officials are rushing to come up with options for business deals and other ways to step up links to Greenland, taken by surprise by President Donald Trump¡¯s renewed demand to take over the island, people familiar with the matter said.
Trump has long wanted the territory for what he says are security reasons. But after a flurry of activity on the issue early last year, including a trip there by his vice president, once-urgent efforts to realize the president¡¯s vision moved to the back burner, according to the people, who asked not to be identified speaking about matters that aren¡¯t public.
But his sudden flurry of public comments about taking Greenland in the days following the U.S. operation to capture former Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3 has made the issue a top priority again. On Tuesday, the White House said it wouldn¡¯t rule out military action, while European leaders issued an unprecedented warning to dissuade Washington from trying to seize territory from a NATO ally.
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