progressing in recent months. US officials are seeking to open three new bases in the south of the territory, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark, as they work to resolve a diplomatic crisis sparked by president Donald Trump when he threatened to seize Greenland by force. Trump said in January that the US should "own" Greenland to prevent Russia or China from taking it. He said this could happen the "easy way " or "the hard way". The White House confirmed the administration was engaged in high-level talks with Greenland and Denmark, but declined to comment on details of the negotiations. A White House official told the BBC the administration was very optimistic the talks were headed in the right direction. Denmark has previously expressed a willingness to discuss additional American military bases on the island, and its foreign ministry confirmed talks with the US were taking place. "There is an ongoing diplomatic track with the United States. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not go into further detail at this time", a spokesperson said. US officials have floated an arrangement in which the three new military bases would be formally designated as US sovereign territory, according to one source with knowledge of the negotiations. The bases would be in southern Greenland and primarily focus on surveillance of potential Russian and Chinese maritime activity in an area of the northern Atlantic between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom known as the GIUK Gap, the officials who spoke to the BBC said. (BBC)