Rubio calls Greenland agreement a national-security achievement, downplays cost to taxpayers

Asked about President Xi's visit and U.S. arrangements involving Greenland, Secretary Marco Rubio framed the administration's Greenland agreement as primarily about national security and Arctic competition. He said the deal—negotiated with Norway and Denmark—allows the United States long-term presence useful for missile defense and protecting North American interests.

"It is about national security," Rubio said, arguing Greenland's geography matters for missile defense and the Arctic. He said the arrangement "didn't cost the American taxpayer a single penny," and described the deal as preventing adversaries from acquiring strategic access that could be used for dual-use facilities. On the question of rare earth minerals, Rubio said resource development would be pursued "in partnership with them" and that commercial opportunities would be secondary to security arrangements.

Rubio did not provide specific timelines, legal terms or commercial licensing details for Greenland mining or basing; he stressed the security rationale for the agreement and said U.S. presence benefits North America and NATO allies.