LONDON

The Irish Taoiseach, or prime minister, on Wednesday said that he does not think it’s “realistic or possible” for the US to buy Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Speaking in Shanghai, China, where he is on an official visit, Micheal Martin said that Greenland "is part of Denmark and the EU is rock-solid behind Denmark."

"Common sense needs to prevail," he was quoted as saying by the Irish broadcaster RTE.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that President Donald Trump aims to buy Greenland from Denmark.

Also, the White House said that the Trump administration is discussing a “range of options” for acquiring Greenland, including the possible use of the US military.

Martin said: "The US has always had a military base in Greenland and I know the Danish Prime Minister has been engaged with the White House and is very clear that any issues that need to be resolved are open to discussion in terms of the military base that’s there."

He reiterated that in terms of the territorial integrity, that is a matter for the Kingdom of Denmark and the population of Greenland.

The White House statement came following Trump's repeated proposals to acquire Greenland for strategic purposes.

A day after the US military operation in Caracas that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Trump on Sunday renewed his call for a takeover of the island for "national security" interests.