The White House says it is discussing options to acquire Greenland and has even refused to rule out military force as US President Donald Trump pursues his plan to take over the Danish territory.
Trump sees acquiring Greenland as a US national security priority necessary to "deter our adversaries in the Arctic region," the White House said in a statement.
"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," the White House said.
A US military seizure of Greenland from longtime ally Denmark would send shock waves through the Nato alliance and deepen the divide between Trump and European leaders.
Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.
Sir Keir Starmer has joined European leaders in insisting the US president must climb down from threats to take over the territory.
The UK Prime Minister and leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark called the US – as a Nato ally – an "essential partner" in defending Arctic security and stressed that Greenland "belongs to its people" in a joint statement.
In a joint statement, Sir Keir and the other leaders said: "Nato has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European allies are stepping up.
"We and many other allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries.
"The Kingdom of Denmark - including Greenland - is part of Nato.
"Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with Nato allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders."
They added: "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."
Speaking on the morning media round for the Government on Wednesday, Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood told Sky News: “We’ve heard this sort of rhetoric from Donald Trump over a long period.
“But we are absolutely clear - the future of Greenland is a matter for Greenlanders and for Danes.
“They are our allies in Europe, they are our allies in Nato, and their future is a matter for them, not for the United States.”
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that efforts to take over the territory by force would mean the end of the Nato military alliance.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller had cast doubt on the legitimacy of Denmark's territorial claim over Greenland in an interview with CNN.
He also said there was "no need" to consider whether the US might carry out a military operation to take it over because "nobody is going to fight the US militarily over the future of Greenland".
His wife, Katie Miller, a former political adviser, was among the Trump supporters who appeared to renew calls for the US to annex Greenland not long after the US raid on Venezuela over the weekend.
She posted a picture of the island territory in the colours of the American flag alongside the word "soon".
