US lawmakers say they want to lower temperature as Trump pushes to annex Greenland

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete January 16, 2026 at 03:59 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers visited Denmark and Greenland to de-escalate tensions arising from President Trump's interest in annexing Greenland. The delegation met with Danish and Greenlandic leaders to understand local perspectives, following Trump's statements about acquiring Greenland, potentially through purchase or force, citing US security concerns. Both Denmark and Greenland oppose a US takeover. Greenland's strategic location and resources are attractive to the US, which already maintains a military base there. However, Denmark warned that military action would threaten NATO, prompting European allies to send troops to Greenland on a reconnaissance mission and express support for joint NATO security in the Arctic. The congressional visit occurred after unsuccessful talks in Washington to dissuade Trump from his plans.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Chris Coons 40% China 50% Jens-Frederik Nielsen 50% North America 50% Germany 50% France 60% Russia 60% Mette Frederiksen 60% Greenland ×470% Denmark ×380% NATO ×280% Donald Trump ×590%

Keywords

greenland 100% us annexation 90% us congress 70% arctic security 70% denmark 60% nato 60% us foreign policy 50% military base 50% international relations 40%