Daily World Briefing, Jan. 7

Trump weighs options to acquire Greenland including use of military: White House

U.S. President Donald Trump and his team are weighing "a range of options" to acquire Denmark's Greenland, including "utilizing the U.S. military," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief's disposal," Leavitt told Xinhua in an emailed statement.

She said that "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."

No room for interpretation regarding Greenland's status: Finnish president

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Tuesday that there is "no room for interpretation" regarding Greenland's status, stressing that decisions about the autonomous territory rest solely with Denmark and Greenland.

"Greenland is an autonomous region that belongs to Denmark. Only Denmark and Greenland decide about its affairs," Stubb told Finnish media in Paris, where he attended a "Coalition of the Willing" meeting on Ukraine.

Stubb said few could have imagined a year ago that such a debate would be necessary. "We stand behind Denmark," he reiterated.

Asked about Venezuela, Stubb said the United States is pursuing its own narrow interests there. He warned that disregard for international law in one place can set a precedent elsewhere.

Macron says France could send "several thousand" soldiers to Ukraine after ceasefire

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that "several thousand" French soldiers could be deployed to maintain peace in Ukraine following a ceasefire.

In an interview with TV channel France 2 during a Paris meeting of Western and European countries, Macron said that "France will take part in operations" to monitor the Russian-Ukrainian border after a ceasefire agreement is signed.

He stressed, however, that the French soldiers would not be combat forces, adding that France will participate in the "regeneration of the Ukrainian army."

Israel, Syria agree to de-escalation mechanism after security talks in Paris

Israel and Syria have resumed talks aimed at easing tensions along their shared border after a months-long hiatus, Israel's Prime Minister's Office said on Tuesday, as a new round of negotiations began in Paris.

In a statement, the office said the dialogue was being mediated by the United States. Israel said the two sides agreed to continue talks "to advance shared objectives and safeguard the security of the Druze minority in Syria."■