REYKJAVIK — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Iceland Monday to advance American interests in the Arctic, the State Department said. The visit follows Washington's September security agreement with Denmark and Greenland, signed during the UN General Assembly in New York.

Rubio's discussions in Reykjavik will focus on economic and security collaboration. Iceland has re-emerged as a strategic player in a region where Russia and China are also competing for influence.

Iceland has no military and relies on NATO and a bilateral US defense pact signed in 1951 for security. The United States does not maintain a permanent military base there.

Rubio's trip marks the first visit by a US Secretary of State to Iceland since Antony Blinken in 2021.

The Denmark-Greenland pact includes plans for two new US military bases on Greenland, integrating the autonomous Danish territory more closely into the American security sphere. The agreement appears to resolve President Donald Trump's earlier calls to purchase or annex Greenland, which had drawn criticism from the European Union.

In early September, Trump shared an AI-generated map on Truth Social depicting North America, the Caribbean, Greenland and Iceland as part of "the United States of America." Iceland's foreign ministry summoned the US ambassador, calling the image "wholly inappropriate." On Sunday, Trump posted another AI-generated image showing his face over a Greenland landscape with the message "Hello, Greenland."

Iceland voted against resuming EU membership negotiations in late August, with 52.8 percent opposed and 47.2 percent in favor. EU membership talks have been frozen since 2013.

After Iceland, Rubio will travel to Athens for strategic dialogue with Greece on regional and energy security. Greece is positioning itself as a key hub for natural gas transport in southeastern Europe, a role that has become more critical given disruptions to energy supplies during recent conflicts.

Rubio's Greece visit coincides with media reports of potential conflicts of interest involving US Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle. Congressman Gregory Meeks sent a letter to Rubio seeking clarification on a report that Guilfoyle stated the US could create "political change" in European countries.

The tour will conclude with a brief stop in Lisbon.