Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen's comments came a day before a key meeting in Washington between foreign ministers of the semi-autonomous Danish territory and Denmark and top U.S. officials,

Leaders from Greenland and Denmark are slated to meet Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at White House, as Trump weighs acquiring Greenland for security.

Trump's comments come after Greenland’s Prime Minister said they would "choose Denmark" over the United States.

The fate of the world’s largest island has outsize importance for billions of people on the planet, because as the climate warms, Greenland is losing ice. That has consequences.

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were expected to meet Wednesday at the White House with top diplomats from the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland, its semiautonomous territory, U.S. officials said, as tensions escalate amid President Donald Trump's threats to "acquire" the island -- possibly even by military force.

Denmark and Greenland said they had begun to increase their military presence around Greenland, as part of a promise to beef up Arctic defense.

The estimate is part of planning around Trump’s efforts to bring Greenland into the U.S. fold, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio tasked with crafting a proposal to purchase the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said "one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland", as he and his administration have been considering a range of options, including military force, to acquire the semiautonomous region,