US President Donald Trump and his team ‌are discussing options for acquiring Greenland and the use of the US military ‍in furtherance of the goal is “always an option”, the White House said on Tuesday.

Trump’s ambition of acquiring Greenland as a strategic US hub in the Arctic, where there is growing interest from Russia and China, has been revived in recent ⁠days in the wake of the US arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.

The White House said in a statement in response to queries from Reuters that Trump sees acquiring Greenland as a US national security priority necessary to “deter ‍our adversaries in the Arctic region”.

“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue ‍this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal,” the White House said.

A senior US official ‌said discussions about ways to acquire Greenland are active in the Oval Office and that advisers are discussing a ‍variety of options.

Strong statements in support of Greenland from Nato leaders have not deterred Trump, the official said.