Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly said that President Donald Trump is seeking a peaceful transfer of the island from Denmark

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told US lawmakers that President Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland from Denmark rather than take the Arctic island by military means, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Rubio reportedly made the remarks during a briefing after top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer asked whether Trump was planning to use the military in places like Greenland and Mexico.

Trump, who initially voiced his intent to acquire Greenland during his first term in office, has linked ownership of the strategically located island to national security and competition with Russian and Chinese navies.

"President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. She added that using the military is "always an option at the commander-in-chief's disposal."

European NATO members released a statement on Tuesday backing Denmark and affirming Greenland as its self-governing territory. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stressed that no NATO member "should attack or threaten" another member, and that an armed conflict between the US and Denmark would render the alliance pointless.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also asserted that a US invasion would be the end of NATO. "If the United States attacks another NATO country, everything stops," she said.

Greenland's leading political parties have long advocated gaining either independence or greater autonomy from Copenhagen. Icelandic singer Bjork posted a message to her 2 million Instagram followers on Monday stating that she supports the island's fight for independence, while expressing hope that Greenland could follow the example of Iceland, which broke away from Danish rule in 1944.