Extract from ABC News
Donald Trump has insisted the US needs Greenland for national security. (Reuters: Nathan Howard )
In short:
Donald Trump has threatened to impose trade tariffs on countries who oppose his plan for a US takeover of Greenland.
The US president has insisted that America needs to acquire the autonomous territory of NATO partner Denmark for national security reasons.
A bipartisan delegation of US politicians met the leaders of Denmark and Greenland in Copenhagen on Friday, seeking to "lower the temperature" over the disagreement.
US President Donald Trump says he may impose trade tariffs on countries that do not support his plans to take over Greenland, which is part of the territory of NATO ally Denmark.
"I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security," he said at a health roundtable at the White House.
Mr Trump has said Greenland is vital to US security because of its strategic location and large supply of minerals.
He has not ruled out the use of force to take it.
It has heightened tensions with NATO partners, who reject his plan for the autonomous Danish territory.
European nations this week sent small numbers of military personnel to the island at Denmark's request.
A bipartisan delegation of US politicians met the leaders of Denmark and Greenland in Copenhagen on Friday, seeking to "lower the temperature" over the disagreement.
The 11-member US delegation, led by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, met Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen, as well as Danish and Greenlandic parliamentarians.
"There's a lot of rhetoric, but there's not a lot of reality in the current discussion in Washington," Mr Coons told reporters following the meetings, saying the lawmakers would seek to "lower the temperature" on returning home.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump's special envoy to Greenland said on Friday he planned to visit the Danish territory in March, and that he believed a deal could be done.
"I do believe that there's a deal that should and will be made once this plays out," Jeff Landry told Fox News in an interview on Friday.
"The president is serious. I think he's laid the markers down. He's told Denmark what he's looking for."
The delegation in Copenhagen included Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski, while the rest were Democratic MPs.
"I think it is important to underscore that when you ask the American people whether or not they think it is a good idea for the United States to acquire Greenland, the vast majority, some 75 per cent, will say we do not think that is a good idea," Ms Murkowski told a press conference.
"This senator from Alaska does not think it is a good idea."
Politicians from both Mr Trump's Republican Party and opposition Democrats have said they would back legislation to rein in the president's ability to seize Greenland, amid an ongoing fight over war powers, which the Constitution grants to Congress.
A House bill in support of annexing Greenland has also been introduced.
Just 17 per cent of Americans approve of president Donald Trump's efforts to acquire Greenland, and large majorities of Democrats and Republicans oppose using military force to annex the island, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
MR Trump has called the poll "fake".
Demonstrations to underline Greenlandic resolve
Demonstrations were scheduled to take place in Danish cities and in the Greenlandic capital Nuuk on Saturday in support of Greenland.
The congressional visit followed a high-stakes meeting at the White House on Wednesday, where Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
Mr Rasmussen said on Friday the meeting with Mr Vance and Mr Rubio had been constructive, even if the two sides had given different descriptions after the talks.
While Denmark said it had set out red lines making it clear Greenland could not be acquired, the White House on Thursday said Mr Trump's goal of taking over the island remained the same as before.
"I would like to encourage us all to keep our heads cool and our hearts warm, and try to look past the media noise and short messages and let the work we have agreed on get started," Mr Rasmussen said in a social media post.
Mr Trump first floated the idea of acquiring Greenland in 2019 during his first term, but faces opposition in Washington, including from within his own party.
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