Tim Kaine warns Trump’s Greenland rhetoric could trigger crisis, ‘end NATO’
WASHINGTON, DC: Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) warned on Sunday, January 11, that President Donald Trump’s escalating rhetoric about acquiring Greenland could trigger a geopolitical crisis, predicting that any attempt to use American force would be “disastrous” and could effectively end NATO.
Appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation, Kaine said there is broad bipartisan opposition in Congress to any move toward coercion or military action against Denmark, which retains sovereignty over the semi-autonomous territory.
“I think Congress will stop him, both Democrats and Republicans,” Kaine told host Margaret Brennan.
Kaine says ‘we’re not doing it the hard way'
Kaine was responding to Trump’s remarks on January 9, when the President reiterated his desire to acquire Greenland and issued an ultimatum.
“I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way,” Trump said.
Kaine rejected the framing, pointing to Denmark’s status as a treaty ally. “We’re not going to do it the hard way, and we’re not going to do it the easy way either,” he said. “We’re going to continue to work with Denmark as a sovereign nation that we’re allied with, and we’re not going to treat them as an adversary or as an enemy.”
Kaine says Greenland conquest would end NATO 'as we know it’
The Virginia Democrat echoed warnings from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who has said that a US attempt to seize Greenland would shatter the alliance structure that has existed since World War II.
“This would be disastrous,” Kaine said. “It wouldn’t just be America first. It wouldn’t just be the end of NATO. It would be America alone.”
He argued that turning on close allies would leave the United States isolated internationally. “If we decide to treat our best allies as adversaries, we will be isolated as a pariah,” Kaine added.
Greenland leaders publicly reject takeover
Opposition to the proposal has been explicit inside Greenland itself. On Friday night, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen joined four other party leaders in a joint statement rejecting any transfer of sovereignty.
“We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” the leaders said, dismissing the notion that the territory could be bought or coerced.
Tim Kaine says Senate ready to force vote
Kaine said lawmakers are prepared to act if the administration continues to float military options. He disclosed that he has spoken with Republican colleagues who agree that force “should be off the table.”
“I can tell you this, we will force a vote in the Senate about no US military action in Greenland or Denmark,” Kaine said. He predicted that, if necessary, Congress would deliver “overwhelming bipartisan support” to block any such move.
