A bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers will meet with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland on Friday to assure them of the support of the US Congress amid tensions caused by President Donald Trump's statements about the possible acquisition of the Arctic island.
Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland is of key importance to the security of the United States because of its strategic location and rich natural resources, and has not ruled out the use of force. In response, European countries this week sent a limited number of military personnel to the island at Copenhagen's request.
The 11-member delegation, led by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, is scheduled to meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Fredrik Nielsen, Frederiksen's office said. "At a time of increasing international instability, we need to be drawing closer to our allies, not pushing them away," Coons said.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned that the rhetoric about taking control of Greenland undermines NATO and serves the interests of Russia and China. She said the concerns in Denmark and Greenland were understandable, but she believed "reasonable voices will prevail" because there is broad consensus in Congress in support of NATO and the U.S.-Denmark relationship. The delegation also includes Republican senators Tom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski.
The visit to Copenhagen comes after a meeting at the White House, where Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance. After the meeting, Danish officials admitted that they had failed to change the US administration's position.
Meanwhile, bipartisan opposition is forming in the US Congress against a possible attempt to annex Greenland. Lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties have said they would support legislative measures to limit the president's authority to use force, while a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that only 17% of Americans approve of the idea of acquiring the island.