BY MIRABEL ODETA
A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers is set to meet leaders in Denmark and Greenland on Friday in a move aimed at reassuring both governments of continued congressional support, despite repeated statements by President Donald Trump suggesting the United States could seek to seize the Arctic island.
The visit comes as tensions between Washington and key NATO allies remain elevated over Trump’s remarks about Greenland’s strategic importance and his refusal to rule out the use of force.
Trump has argued that Greenland is critical to U.S. national security due to its strategic Arctic location and its vast reserves of rare earth minerals and other natural resources. His comments have alarmed European governments, prompting Denmark to request additional security support for the island.
In response, several European nations this week deployed small contingents of military personnel to Greenland, underscoring the seriousness with which the issue is being treated by U.S. allies.
The 11-member congressional delegation will be led by Democratic Senator Chris Coons and is scheduled to meet Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen as well as Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, according to Frederiksen’s office.
The delegation includes Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski, though Democrats make up the majority of the group, highlighting a rare moment of cross-party agreement on the need to maintain strong alliances.
In a statement released earlier this week, Coons stressed that the visit is intended to send a strong diplomatic signal at a time of growing global uncertainty. He said that rather than alienating close partners, the United States should be strengthening its ties with long-standing allies, emphasizing that Congress remains firmly committed to NATO and collective security.
The congressional visit follows a tense meeting at the White House on Wednesday involving Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt.
The two officials met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance in an effort to defuse the situation and seek clarity on Washington’s intentions. Danish officials later said the discussions failed to shift the U.S. administration’s stance on the idea of acquiring Greenland.
Rasmussen and Motzfeldt have also spent the week meeting with members of Congress in Washington, hoping to build legislative resistance to any attempt to annex the island. Denmark and Greenland view the situation as an unprecedented diplomatic crisis involving a fellow NATO member and are seeking a resolution grounded in international law and mutual respect.
In a social media post late Thursday, Rasmussen said Denmark was open to deeper cooperation on Arctic security but made clear that any such collaboration must respect territorial integrity, international law, and the principles of the United Nations Charter. Greenland’s leaders have echoed those sentiments, repeatedly stating that the island is not for sale and that its future must be decided by its people.
Trump first raised the idea of acquiring Greenland in 2019 during his first term in office, sparking widespread criticism at home and abroad. The proposal has continued to face resistance in Washington, including from within Trump’s own Republican Party.
Lawmakers from both parties have said they would support legislation to limit the president’s ability to seize foreign territory without congressional approval, particularly as debates over war powers intensify.
While one House bill backing the annexation of Greenland has been introduced, it has gained little traction. Public opinion also appears firmly opposed to the idea. Recent polling shows that only a small minority of Americans support Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland, and large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans reject the use of military force to annex the island.
Trump has dismissed the polling results as inaccurate, but they add to the growing pressure on his administration as lawmakers seek to assert Congress’s role in foreign and security policy.
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