Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he will meet with officials from Denmark next week about Greenland, writes CNBC.

Rubio’s comments on Capitol Hill came as the Trump administration has amped up its rhetoric about taking over Greenland, which is a self-governing territory of Denmark. He was asked why the administration had not accepted Denmark’s request for a discussion about the island. “I’ll be meeting with them next week”, - Rubio replied.

He was asked by a reporter if he would withdraw the option of using the U.S. military to take over Greenland. “I’m not here to talk about Denmark or military intervention”, Rubio said, before reiterating his plans to meet with Danish officials next week. “We’ll have conversations with them then, but I’m not adding things further ... to that today”.

On Tuesday evening, Danish Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Denmark would spend 88 billion Danish kroner ($13.8 billion) on rearming Greenland given “the serious security situation we find ourselves in”: “I hope that the United States also recognizes that fact and is ready to cooperate on our common interest in Arctic security. Because Denmark would like to continue to be an ally of the United States. But that requires a mutual willingness to show respect and cooperation”.

Poulsen’s comments came hours after the White House told CNBC that President Donald Trump and his advisors were considering “a range of options” to acquire Greenland, which potentially included a military option.