President Trump says the U.S. needs Greenland from a "national security" standpoint, and that Denmark "is not gonna be able to do it."

"We need Greenland from a national security situation," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. "It's so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And Denmark is not gonna be able to do it, I can tell you.

Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. 

Trump shortly after the start of his second term began efforts to try to annex the island, on which the U.S. has a military base, the Pituffik Space Base – crucial for missile warning, space surveillance and defense operations since 1951.

"You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security in Greenland?" Trump asked reporters Sunday, two days after a U.S. military-law enforcement raid on Venezuela in which President Nicholas Madura was captured. "They added one more dog sled. It's true! They thought that was a great move."

He also argued the European Union "needs us to have" Greenland.

Late Sunday, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said, according to Reuters, "Threats, pressure, and talk of annexation have no place between friends. Enough is enough," adding, "No more fantasies about annexation."