(Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States must take control of Greenland to ensure international security.

Trump made the comments while signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on the first day of his second term as president.

Trump has expressed interest in making Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, a part of the US since his re-election in November. He did not rule out using military or economic power to persuade Denmark to give it up.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede, who has stepped up the push for independence, has repeatedly said the island will not be sold and that its people will decide their future.