United States President Donald Trump has threatened to “take” Greenland, whether the self-governing territory of Denmark “likes it or not”, saying it is strategically important in the Arctic region.

On Friday, Trump said the US needed to take over Greenland to prevent Russia or China from occupying it, and accused the Danish authorities of failing to adequately secure the waters around Greenland – a claim rejected by local politicians.

“We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not. Because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbour,” Trump told reporters at the White House while meeting with oil company executives.

“We don’t want Russia or China going to Greenland, which – if we don’t take Greenland – you’re going to have Russia or China as your next-door neighbour. That’s not going to happen,” he said. “I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”

Recent US attacks on Venezuela and the abduction of the South American country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, have spurred heightened concerns around what Trump may be planning for Greenland.

Greenland’s foreign minister said earlier Friday that the Greenlandic government should “take the lead” in planned talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the United States continues to threaten to take over the autonomous Danish territory.

“When it comes to Greenland, it should be Greenland that takes the lead and speaks with the United States,” Vivian Motzfeldt said, according to Danish broadcaster DR.

She said the Greenlandic government should be able to engage in dialogue with other countries independently of Denmark.

“What would be wrong with us holding meetings with the United States on our own? I assume that we [Denmark and Greenland] share certain common values and policies that both countries stand by,” Motzfeldt said.

Asked if she would prefer to hold next week’s meeting with Rubio without her Danish counterpart, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Motzfeldt refused to comment and stressed that the talks will be held jointly.

“Greenland has been working toward statehood, which would require us to conduct our own foreign policy. But we are not there yet. Until then, we have certain laws and frameworks that we must follow,” she said.

Future of NATO

Rubio held talks with NATO chief Mark Rutte on Friday as the transatlantic military alliance has sought to deflect Washington’s interest in Greenland by emphasising efforts to boost security in the Arctic.

A NATO spokesperson said Rutte spoke with Rubio “on the importance of the Arctic to our shared security and how NATO is working to enhance our capabilities in the High North”.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an armed US attack to take Greenland could spell the end for NATO.

But the head of NATO’s forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said earlier in the day that the alliance was far from being in “a crisis”.

“There’s been no impact on my work at the military level up to this point … I would just say that we’re ready to defend every inch of alliance territory still today,” Grynkewich told reporters during a visit to Finland.

“So I see us as far from being in a crisis right now,” he added.

Motzfeldt, Greenland’s foreign minister, also said she had “good expectations” for the upcoming meeting with Rubio but underlined that it is “too early to say how it will end”.

“From our side, it is clear that Greenland needs the United States, and the United States needs Greenland. That responsibility must be taken seriously,” she said, reiterating the need for a return to a trust-based relationship with Washington.