Lisa Murkowski wants to ban Trump from attacking Greenland by law.Image: keystone
A bill in the US Senate would prohibit President Donald Trump’s administration from annexing, occupying or otherwise controlling the territory of a NATO country without the consent of the affected ally.
01/14/2026, 06:3801/14/2026, 06:38
The bill was introduced by Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in view of the US claim to the Arctic island of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark.
It was initially unclear whether the draft had a realistic chance of being passed by a majority in the Senate and then in the House of Representatives. With regard to Trump’s request to annex Greenland, the senators explained:
“Such an approach would contradict the North Atlantic Treaty, weaken NATO’s cohesion and undermine the alliance’s existing efforts to counter the threat from adversaries such as Russia and China.”
The senators continued: “NATO remains the most successful defense alliance in history – and its credibility is based on the common understanding that the sovereignty of the member states is mutually respected and defended.”
The Republican Murkowski, who sits in the Senate for the US state of Alaska, is known for being one of Trump’s few party colleagues who does not shy away from a confrontation with the president.
Congress controls how the government can spend money
The law would prohibit the government from using funds from the Ministry of Defense or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take action against the territory of NATO partners. The US President has a lot of room for maneuver in foreign policy, although sovereignty over budgetary resources lies with the two chambers of the US Congress.
Due to Trump’s efforts to annex Greenland to the USA, there is already a current bipartisan bill with the same thrust in the House of Representatives. Its chances of success were initially unclear. The initiative was supported by more than 20 MPs.
The USA and Denmark are discussing Greenland in Washington today
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen wants to speak to US Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington today about US claims on Greenland. The Greenland Minister responsible for foreign policy, Vivian Motzfeldt, is also expected to take part in the meeting. The meeting is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. CET (10:30 a.m. local time).
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen have repeatedly stated that Greenland is not for sale and cannot be annexed by the United States.
Trump justifies the US claim to the strategically important island, which lies between the USA, Russia and Europe and extends far into the Arctic Circle, mostly on national security grounds. But he also sometimes talks about the Arctic island’s wealth of raw materials. (sda/dpa)