Investing.com -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today that discussions with Denmark and Greenland regarding the island's use for collective defense are progressing well.

During a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Rubio told Representative Sarah McBride of Delaware that the U.S. is engaged in conversations with Greenland and Denmark about using the territory for collective defense purposes. He described the talks as being "in a good place."

When McBride asked whether Greenland is part of Denmark, Rubio responded, "For now."

The discussions focus on Greenland's role in missile defense and collective security arrangements. Rubio stated that conversations with Denmark and Greenland continue on a monthly basis and expressed optimism about the outcome. "I think we'll have pretty good news on it at some point," he said.

President Donald Trump's earlier statements about the U.S. needing to acquire or control Greenland created tensions between Washington and Copenhagen. Both countries are founding members of NATO. The issue has since shifted to diplomatic channels.

Rubio indicated that he shares Trump's view that current agreements on basing U.S. forces in Greenland are insufficient. He suggested that owning territory would make defense easier.

Greenland is a semi-autonomous Danish territory.