Washington [US], January 17: Reuters reported on January 16th that a delegation of 11 bipartisan members of the US Congress had arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark, and were scheduled to meet with Danish leaders and the government of the autonomous territory of Greenland for two days, January 16-17.
This visit is seen as a move to reaffirm the support of lawmakers in Washington for Denmark , amid ongoing pressure from the Trump administration to gain control of Greenland.
In a statement, Democratic Senator Chris Coon, leading the US delegation, said: "In the face of increasing international instability, we need to draw closer to our allies, not push them away." Lawmakers from both parties are lobbying to pass legislation to prevent Trump from acquiring Greenland. Earlier, a meeting between White House officials and the Danish government on January 14th failed to break the deadlock over Greenland .
Following concerning statements from the White House, European countries deployed forces to the Danish island of Greenland on January 14th to participate in reconnaissance activities, also with the aim of demonstrating political support for the Copenhagen government. However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stressed on January 15th that this move by Europe would not affect President Trump's decision and goal of acquiring Greenland.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on January 14 showed that only 17% of more than 1,200 Americans surveyed supported the purchase of Greenland, while 71% opposed the US using military force to control the island.
On January 16, French Finance Minister Roland Lescure warned that the US desire to control Greenland would threaten trade relations between Europe and the US, according to the Financial Times .
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
