Trump wants Greenland but US senators move bill to block his ambitions: Will this prevent 'NATO war'?
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump wants Greenland but US senators move bill to block his ambitions: Will this prevent 'NATO war'?")
Trump's Greenland plans Photograph: (AFP)
Amid Donald Trump’s push to take over Greenland, US senators introduced a bipartisan bill to block funding for any action to annex or control NATO territory. The move highlights growing congressional opposition as Greenland and Denmark firmly reject US ownership claims.
Amid US President Donald Trump's push for Greenland takeover, several senators in the United States (US) have introduced a bill aimed at preventing his plans. Authored by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Lisa Murkowski, the bipartisan NATO Unity Protection Act seeks to bar the Department of Defense and Department of State from using funds to “blockade, occupy, annex or otherwise assert control” over the territory of any other NATO member state.
In a statement, Shaheen, who represents the state of New Hampshire, said, “This bipartisan legislation makes clear that US taxpayer dollars cannot be used for actions that would fracture NATO and violate our own commitments to NATO. This bill sends a clear message that recent rhetoric around Greenland deeply undermines America’s own national security interests and faces bipartisan opposition in Congress.”
Murkowski, a rare Republican critic of Trump who represents Alaska, said the 32-member NATO security alliance was the “strongest line of defence” for global security. "The mere notion that America would use our vast resources against our allies is deeply troubling and must be wholly rejected by Congress in statute,” Murkowski added.
Trump's Greenland controversy
It all started soon after US strike on Caracas and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Trump claimed that making the Danish territory part of the United States would serve US national security interests, given its strategic location on the Arctic. Trump argued that US ownership is a necessity to prevent Russia or China from occupying the territory. He claimed that the area is already "covered with Russian and Chinese ships" and mocked Greenland’s own defenses as consisting of just “two dog sleds.” Despite opposition from his NATO allies, Trump has continued with his rhetoric, saying, "I'm a fan of Denmark, too, I have to tell you. And you know, they've been very nice to me…But you know, the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land." He also declared that United States will make a deal with Greenland either the “hard way or the easy way.”
On Tuesday (Jan 13), Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said that if his country has to choose, it would prefer staying with Denmark. His rejection came as a direct answer to US President Donald Trump’s push to take control of the Arctic territory. He also said that US should understand this very clearly that ‘Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States.’
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