ReutersA bipartisan group of members of the US Congress visited Denmark in what was seen as a show of support in the face of increasing pressure from President Donald Trump for the US to annex Greenland – a semi-autonomous Danish region in the Arctic.
The 11-member delegation will meet with MPs as well as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
The visit comes days after high-level talks in Washington failed to deter Trump from his plans.
He insists that Greenland is vital for US security – and that Denmark cannot defend it against a possible attack by Russia or China. Denmark and Greenland say they oppose the US takeover.
Greenland is sparsely populated but rich in resources and its location between North America and the Arctic makes it well-placed for early warning systems in case of missile attacks and for monitoring ships in the region.
The US already has more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at its Pituffik base – a facility operated by the US since World War II.
Under existing agreements with Denmark, the US has the power to bring as many troops as it wants to Greenland.
But Trump says the US must “own” it to properly defend it.
He repeatedly offered to buy it – an offer rejected by Denmark and Greenland – while pointing to the possibility of taking it by force.
Denmark warned that military action would end NATO – the trans-Atlantic defense alliance in which the US is the most influential partner.
NATO works on the principle that allies must cooperate with each other in the event of an attack from the outside – it has never faced the option of one member using force against another.
European allies rallied to Denmark’s support.
They also say that the Arctic region is equally important to them and that its security should be a joint responsibility of NATO – with the US involved.
For this, several countries including France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK sent a limited number of troops to Greenland on a so-called reconnaissance mission.
French President Emmanuel Macron said “land, air, and sea assets” will be sent soon.
The US Congressional delegation includes senators and members of the US House of Representatives who are staunch supporters of Nato.
It was led by Senator Chris Coons who said earlier this week that “we must reach out to our allies, not drive them away”.
Although Coons and most of the delegation were Democratic opponents of Trump, the group also included Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation to stop Trump’s seizure of Greenland by force.
A Republican congressman also introduced an opposing bill in support of the plan to annex the island.
Trump’s envoy to Greenland Jeff Landry told Fox News on Friday that the US should talk to the leaders of Greenland, not Denmark.
“I believe there is an agreement that should and will be made when this happens,” he said.
“The president is serious. I think he put the marks. He told Denmark what he was looking for, and now it’s something that has an agreement with Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio and Vice-President JD Vance.
“The United States has always been a welcoming party. We’re not going there to try to conquer anybody and try to take over anybody’s country. We say, ‘Listen. We represent freedom. We represent economic strength. We represent protection.'”