Jan 16, 2026, 7:16 p.mJan 16, 2026, 7:16 p.m
Several US parliamentarians criticized US President Donald Trump’s claims to Greenland during a trip to Denmark. “Greenland should be seen as an ally, not as a possession,” said Republican US Senator Lisa Murkowski at a press conference in the Danish parliament building in Copenhagen.
Murkowski, other senators and members of the US House of Representatives had previously met with parliamentarians from Denmark and Greenland. A meeting with the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen was also on the delegation’s program.
US parliamentarians want to smooth things over
The Republican Murkowski, who sits in the Senate for the US state of Alaska, is known for being one of the US President’s few party colleagues who does not shy away from confrontation with him. She is also one of the initiators of a bill that would prohibit Trump’s government from annexing, occupying or otherwise controlling the territory of a NATO state without the consent of the affected ally.
Lisa Murkowski during the media conference in Denmark.Image: keystone
The largely autonomous Greenland is part of the territory of Denmark. US President Trump has repeatedly made it clear that America wants to take over the island, which is largely covered by ice – which the European NATO partners vehemently reject.
The US parliamentarians traveled to the Danish capital to talk to their Greenlandic and Danish colleagues. They want to take their perspectives back to the USA in order to “lower the temperature” in the currently heated debate, said the Democratic Senator from Delaware, Chris Coons.
Alluding to one of Trump’s reasons for the US need to take over Greenland, Coons said: “Are there threats to Greenland’s security from Russia and China? No, not at the moment.” (sda/dpa)