Greenland

NPR - The U.S. seeking to acquire Greenland challenges the rules of international order, specifically the U.N. charter that says a member cannot use force against another country to seize territory, says Stewart Patrick, formerly of the George W. Bush State Department. Denmark has announced plans to build its military presence in Greenland, in what could be considered a pushback at allegations that it can’t defend the country, according to NPR’s Franco Ordoñez. Sweden and Germany also announced they would send military forces to the region, potentially conveying a message to the U.S. that Denmark is not alone.

The Hill - Senate Republicans are vowing to block any effort by President Trump to seize Greenland by military force, as Trump officials on Wednesday refused to back off their demands to control the island during a meeting with top diplomats at the White House.

Republican senators are flummoxed by Trump’s insistence that he’s willing to use military force to seize control of Greenland from Denmark, something they fear will destroy the NATO alliance and give Russia a bigger advantage in its war against Ukraine.

Two Republican senators — Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) — plan to travel to Copenhagen on Friday to assure the Danish prime minister that there would be strong Republican opposition to any effort by Trump to use military force to seize Greenland.

“I’m going to remind them that we have coequal branches of government and I believe that there [is a] sufficient number of members, whether they speak up or not, that are concerned with this,” Tillis said of Trump’s threats.

“The actual execution of anything that would involve a taking of a sovereign territory that is part of a sovereign nation, I think would be met with pretty substantial opposition in Congress,” he said.