The US president has clashed with several NATO allies over his plan to annex the Danish overseas territory

Western European leaders should focus on the Ukraine conflict rather than US efforts to get Greenland, President Donald Trump told NBC News on Monday.

In a phone interview with the news outlet, he faulted Western European leaders for resisting his efforts to acquire the Danish territory, which he has argued is necessary for American security.

"Europe ought to focus on the war with Russia and Ukraine because, frankly, you see what that's gotten them," Trump said. "That's what Europe should focus on - not Greenland."

EU and NATO delegations are abandoning their prepared talking points on Ukraine for their upcoming meetings with Trump at the World Economic Forum later this week, Politico reported on Monday, citing officials. Now, "Trump's unsolicited bid to acquire Greenland is expected to top the agenda," it wrote.

Last week, the US president announced 10% tariffs on eight European NATO nations for opposing his Greenland bid and for sending soldiers to military drills on the Arctic island.

Trump has also not ruled out military action, telling NBC "no comment" when asked if he would use force to seize the territory. Previously, he warned that he would take the island "the easy way" or "the hard way."

The Greenland issue has recently overtaken the Ukraine conflict as the main focus of Western European leaders, who claim that Russia represents a military threat - allegations that Moscow dismisses as nonsense.

Russia has long maintained that Western nations' arms supplies to Kiev make them parties to the conflict, which Moscow argues is a proxy war being waged against it using Ukrainian manpower.

European countries' continued military aid to Kiev has made them "the main obstacles to peace" amid the US-brokered peace talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sunday. According to the top diplomat, the EU is openly preparing to go to war with Russia.

(RT.com)