WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that he plans to meet with Danish officials next week over the US demand to own Greenland.

"I'll be meeting with them next week ... We'll have conversations with them then," Rubio told reporters at the US Capitol.

"Every president always retains the option" of military force, but "we always prefer to settle it in different ways," he said, trying to downplay the White House statement from Tuesday. In an emailed statement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Xinhua that "utilizing the US military" is always an option for US President Donald Trump over his demand for Greenland.

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Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt earlier officially requested a meeting with Rubio to discuss the crisis. Both Greenland and Denmark have made clear that the island is not for sale.

However, Rubio told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing on Monday that Trump's recent threats against Greenland did not signal an imminent invasion and that the White House's goal is to buy the island from Denmark, according to US media outlets.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, supported by European leaders, warned on Monday that "if the US chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops, including NATO and thus the security that has been established since the end of the Second World War."

READ MORE: Danish PM rebukes 'closest ally' in New Year address amid Greenland tensions

Denmark is a member of both NATO and the European Union.

France's support for Greenland

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Wednesday reiterated France's support for Greenland, stressing that "Greenland is not for sale."

In an interview with Radio France, Barrot said that Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and its future will be defined in an agreement between the Greenlandic and Danish authorities.

Barrot said that it would make absolutely no sense for a NATO country to attack another NATO country, and it would be completely contrary to the interests of the United States.

The minister said that he spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday. "He ruled out the possibility of what has just happened in Venezuela happening in Greenland," Barrot added.

On Saturday, US forces launched a military strike against Venezuela, forcibly seizing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Venezuelan soil. The move has drawn widespread condemnation and protests, with many denouncing it as an unlawful act motivated primarily by a desire to control Venezuela's vast oil reserves.

Barrot stated that in response to US threats, France intends to take action but will do so in coordination with European partners, adding that he would discuss the issue with the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland. 

Trump's doubt about NATO's reliability

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is doubting whether NATO would come to US defense when it is needed.

Trump made the remarks two days after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that a US attack on Greenland could effectively end the military alliance established since the end of the Second World War.

"We will always be there for NATO, even if they won't be there for us," Trump wrote on Truth Social.