COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is arriving this week for meetings with Danish and Greenlandic officials as President Donald Trump renews threats to take control of Greenland. The visit comes as Greenland annexation talk rattles NATO and rival bills take shape in Congress, Jan. 13, 2026.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is leading the delegation, which includes Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill. The group will be in Copenhagen Friday and Saturday, according to a Reuters report.
Coons said the lawmakers want to reinforce the U.S.-Denmark partnership and respect Greenland’s autonomy. “We in no way seek to interfere in their internal discussions about the status of Greenland,” he told the Associated Press.
Trump says the United States must own Greenland and has not ruled out force. “One way or the other we are going to take Greenland,” he has said. Greenland hosts the U.S. Space Force’s Pituffik Space Base, and Danish and Greenlandic leaders say the territory is not for sale.
Greenland annexation bills draw lines in Congress
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., introduced the “Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act,” saying in a press release from his office that it would authorize the president to annex or acquire Greenland and require a report on statehood.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., countered with the “Greenland Sovereignty Protection Act.” It would bar federal funds from supporting “the invasion, annexation, purchase, or other form of acquisition of Greenland” and restrict spending tied to any increase in U.S. military presence or investment there without statutory approval, according to the introduced text.
Tillis said ahead of the visit, “It is critical that Congress stands united in supporting our allies and respecting the sovereignty of Denmark and Greenland.” Durbin called Trump’s “continued threats toward Greenland” unnecessary and said they “would only weaken our NATO alliance.”
EU alarm and NATO math
European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius warned that a U.S. military takeover amid Greenland annexation threats “would be the end of NATO,” and said EU members would be obligated to assist Denmark if it faced aggression, according to a separate Reuters report.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned an American takeover would fracture NATO, and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has said the island’s future must be decided by Greenlanders. Danish and Greenlandic envoys are expected in Washington this week for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The current dispute echoes earlier episodes. In 2019, Trump floated buying Greenland and then abruptly canceled a Denmark visit after Frederiksen rebuffed the idea, according to a 2019 Reuters account. Declassified U.S. documents also show that in 1946 Washington explored paying Denmark $100 million in gold for Greenland, as described in an AP report on declassified documents.
For the visiting lawmakers, the immediate goal is to keep today’s Greenland annexation threat from hardening into a lasting rupture with allies. They are expected to press for Arctic security cooperation built around NATO and existing agreements — not Greenland annexation.
