While visiting Copenhagen on Friday, the top Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives stated that Congress is unlikely to back any invasion of Greenland, Denmark’s semi-autonomous territory.
President Donald Trump, a Republican, has said he wants the United States to take over Greenland and has not ruled out the use of force to do so.
No Real Bipartisan Support
“I don’t believe that there is real bipartisan support in the Congress to aggressively move on Greenland,” Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, told reporters in Copenhagen during a visit by a group of Congress members.
“You’ll have to ask our Republican colleagues, but I haven’t seen serious Republican members of Congress weigh in support of the notion that we should somehow invade Greenland,” he added.
The U.S. Congressional delegation, which included members from both parties, held a press event after meeting with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, though no Republican members spoke during the briefing.
Strong Ally Of The U.S.
Jeffries praised Denmark as a strong and reliable ally of the United States in promoting a rules-based global order, in complete contrast to Vice President JD Vance’s comments during his visit to Greenland in late March, where he criticized Denmark for not being a good ally.
Under a 1951 agreement with Denmark, the United States has the right to move freely and build military bases in Greenland, provided both Denmark and Greenland are informed.
“That agreement is still valid, it’s alive, and the leaders here in Denmark have made clear that it remains available to be utilized,” Jeffries said.
He added that the delegation did not discuss with Danish officials increasing the U.S. military presence or activity in Greenland.
Show Of Unity
Meanwhile, Denmark’s King Frederik will visit Greenland next week, the royal palace said on Wednesday, in a show of solidarity with the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
In a further display of unity, Prime Minister Nielsen will travel to Denmark for talks on April 26, the Greenlandic and Danish governments said.
Greenland is rich in raw materials, including minerals critical to advance new technologies, and Trump has said the United States needs control of the strategically-located island for reasons of national and international security.
However, the leaders of Denmark and Greenland have said that only Greenlanders can decide the territory’s future.
(With inputs from Reuters)
