US senators introduce bill to stop Trump seizing Greenland

The bipartisan measure would barroom backing for immoderate determination to inhabit oregon annex the territory of a NATO subordinate state.

US senators person introduced a measure aimed astatine preventing President Donald Trump from seizing NATO territory, including the self-governing Danish land of Greenland.

The bipartisan NATO Unity Protection Act introduced connected Tuesday would barroom the Department of Defense and Department of State from utilizing funds to “blockade, occupy, annex oregon different asseverate control” implicit the territory of immoderate NATO subordinate state.

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The bill, authored by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Lisa Murkowski, comes amid increasing concerns implicit Trump’s repeated insistence that Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, indispensable beryllium brought nether Washington’s control, utilizing unit if necessary.

“This bipartisan authorities makes wide that US payer dollars cannot beryllium utilized for actions that would fracture NATO and interruption our ain commitments to NATO,” said Shaheen, who represents the authorities of New Hampshire, successful a statement.

“This measure sends a wide connection that caller rhetoric astir Greenland profoundly undermines America’s ain nationalist information interests and faces bipartisan absorption successful Congress,” the Democratic legislator said.

Murkowski, a uncommon Republican professional of Trump who represents Alaska, said the 32-member NATO information confederation was the “strongest enactment of defence” against efforts to undermine planetary bid and stability.

“The specified conception that America would usage our immense resources against our allies is profoundly troubling and indispensable beryllium wholly rejected by Congress successful statute,” Murkowski said.

Trump’s threats to instrumentality power of Greenland person alarmed Washington’s European allies and prompted warnings astir the extremity of NATO, which is built connected the rule that an equipped onslaught against immoderate 1 subordinate is considered an onslaught against all.

Trump, who claims that power of the immense Arctic territory is important to US nationalist security, has brushed speech concerns astir splitting the alliance, which has been a cornerstone of the Western-led information bid since the extremity of World War II.

Trump has besides claimed that China oregon Russia would instrumentality power of Greenland, which is location to immense reserves of fossil fuels and captious minerals, if the US does not.

“I’d emotion to marque a woody with them. It’s easier,” Trump said connected Sunday of his plans for the territory.

“But 1 mode oregon the other, we’re going to person Greenland.”

In a rebuke to Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s premier minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, connected Tuesday offered immoderate of their astir forceful comments yet successful defence of Copenhagen’s sovereignty implicit the territory.

“If we person to take betwixt the United States and Denmark present and now, we take Denmark,” Nielsen said astatine a associated quality league successful Copenhagen.

“We take NATO. We take the Kingdom of Denmark. We take the EU,” helium said.

Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his counterpart successful Greenland, Vivian Motzfeldt, are connected Wednesday acceptable to conscionable with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance successful Washington, DC, for talks connected the escalating crisis.

A bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers, including Democratic Senator Chris Coons and Republican Senator Thom Tillis, is acceptable to get successful Denmark connected Friday for talks with section officials.

The immense bulk of Greenland’s 57,000 residents person expressed absorption to US power of the territory, according to polling.

In a survey commissioned by the Danish insubstantial Berlingske past year, 85 percent of residents said they did not privation to articulation the US, with conscionable 6 percent successful favour.