Danish officials warn US lawmakers against divisive vote on Greenland

Danish officials have urged US lawmakers to proceed cautiously on any war powers vote related to Greenland, warning that a narrowly decided or overtly partisan outcome could ultimately weaken Copenhagen’s position rather than strengthen it, POLITICO reports.

According to three people familiar with the closed-door discussions, Danish representatives conveyed this message to lawmakers from both parties during meetings on Capitol Hill earlier this week. The officials argued that a weak showing—particularly one with limited Republican backing—could embolden President Donald Trump’s stated interest in acquiring the Danish territory “through any means possible,” rather than constrain it.

The warning was delivered during a January 14 meeting that included Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, and Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Angus King (I-Maine), and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.). Gallego is leading efforts to draft a yet-to-be-introduced war powers resolution aimed at preventing Trump from using military force against Greenland without explicit congressional authorization.

The meeting was intended in part to reassure Danish and Greenlandic officials—who have repeatedly voiced alarm over Trump’s rhetoric—that there is meaningful support for their position in Congress. Still, Gallego signaled afterward that no immediate vote was forthcoming.

“I’m going to keep it on the shelf as an option, should we ever need it,” Gallego said. “But I’ve offered that language, and we’ll make sure to have it handy in case it rises to the moment.”

The Danish Embassy declined to comment. Rasmussen and Motzfeldt were part of a broader delegation that also met with Trump administration officials on January 14, a session that failed to resolve the underlying impasse.

Democrats, meanwhile, are expected to roll out several additional war powers resolutions—potentially including one focused on Greenland—as part of a broader strategy to force Republicans to take recorded positions on Trump’s foreign policy. Those decisions, lawmakers argue, have repeatedly caught Capitol Hill off guard.

“At a minimum, we’re forcing a vote that may get the administration to change its course, we’re chewing up Senate floor time and highlighting the fact that the president is engaged in external adventurism, rather than solving everyday problems that Americans wanted him to solve,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said of the anticipated efforts.

Kaine acknowledged that securing a veto-proof margin of Republican support would be difficult for most war powers resolutions. “But we might on Greenland,” he added.

Despite widespread unease among Republicans over Trump’s refusal to rule out military action—unease that includes warnings from some of his closest allies that such a move lacks support on Capitol Hill—there has been no surge of GOP backing for a Greenland-specific resolution. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said such a measure would “easily pass” if an invasion appeared imminent, but added that he would not support one at this stage. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), one of five Republicans who initially backed a Venezuela war powers resolution, likewise said he is not currently on board.

Murkowski, who was in Copenhagen on January 16 as part of a bicameral, bipartisan congressional delegation, has said she would support a war powers resolution related to Greenland.

By Vafa Guliyeva