Republican Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska are scheduled to travel to Copenhagen to assure Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that the U.S. will not take Greenland by force.
The trip comes amid escalating tensions around comments from President Donald Trump about acquiring the Arctic territory which has alarmed Denmark, Greenland and many U.S. lawmakers. Frederiksen and Greenlandic leaders have reaffirmed that the territory is not for sale and that its sovereignty is non-negotiable.
Greenland is a vast, resource-rich, largely indigenous territory that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and covered under NATO's collective defense commitments. Though the president has called for American annexation of Greenland as central to national security, many allies and lawmakers see mounting rhetoric as destabilizing to transatlantic relations.
Earlier this week, senior Danish and Greenlandic officials met with U.S. counterparts in Washington, where disagreements over the possibility of a U.S. acquisition of the island were laid bare. Trump reportedly cited security concerns, warning that without U.S. control, Russia or China could fill any perceived void. However, Denmark and Greenland offered firm pushback, emphasizing existing NATO arrangements and rejecting any idea of ceding sovereign territory.
Sens. Tillis and Murkowski are both Republicans who have publicly signaled unease with the administration's handling of the issue and have had public disagreements with President Trump in the past. Tillis told The Hill that the trip is intended to remind Denmark and other allies "The actual execution of anything that would involve a taking of a sovereign territory that is part of a sovereign nation ... would be met with pretty substantial opposition in Congress."
Murkowski, one of the Senate's most senior Republicans and a fierce advocate for strong NATO partnerships, has put forward legislation aimed at fortifying U.S. commitments to the alliance. Her recent comments emphasize that lasting security in the Arctic depends on cooperation with allies, not unilateral action.
Denmark has signaled its willingness to strengthen military capabilities in Greenland and across the Arctic, coordinating with other European NATO members. France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the U.K. have either deployed troops or pledged additional support to signal solidarity and reassure the territory's residents.
Back in the U.S., lawmakers across party lines have sharply criticized Trump's persistent emphasis on Greenland, with critics warning that talk of seizing territory could undermine decades of alliance building. A recent bipartisan Reuters/Ipsos survey found that a strong majority of Americans oppose the idea of the United States taking Greenland by force.
