Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers during a classified briefing on Capitol Hill earlier this week that the U.S. is seeking to purchase Greenland, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News. Rubio told reporters after a briefing Wednesday that buying the territory has always been President Donald Trump's intent all along.

President Trump is intensifying calls to secure Greenland, calling it vital for U.S. national security and a strategic counter to Chinese and Russian influence in the Arctic.

“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,” Leavitt said.

Up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil will begin arriving in the United States “very soon” after the capture of Nicolas Maduro, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.