A bipartisan group of U.S. senators said they expect to vote on legislation aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s military action against longtime ally Greenland.

This move comes as Trump continues to publicly express his desire to seize mineral-rich Arctic islands from Denmark. Recent events, including the U.S. special forces operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, have raised concerns in Congress and questions about whether the president will launch similar unilateral actions.

Bipartisan push for war powers resolution

Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, a leading advocate for congressional oversight of military forces, confirmed that lawmakers are preparing to exercise their powers.

"You will see war authorization resolutions proposed against Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria and Greenland," Kane told reporters. He mentioned his own involvement, saying, "I am very likely to be at least a co-sponsor, and very likely to spearhead some of them."

This push builds on previous efforts. Cain and other lawmakers had repeatedly tried to pass resolutions to prevent Trump from attacking Venezuela without congressional authorization, arguing that the Constitution stipulates that only Congress can declare war.

The Senate is expected to vote later this Thursday (January 8) on a resolution to halt further military action in Venezuela without senator approval.

Republican criticism of the Greenland strategy

Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul, a co-sponsor of the Venezuela resolution, said he would be “open to” supporting similar measures involving Greenland.

However, he criticized the government's approach, arguing that threatening military action would be counterproductive if the ultimate goal was to purchase the island. Paul pointed out that he had never heard of any of his Republican colleagues supporting the use of force to seize Greenland.

Paul explained, “If I wanted to buy Greenland, I would go there and do public relations activities, send them gifts.” He suggested a diplomatic strategy focused on persuading the Greenlanders about the defense and economic benefits of being part of the United States.

Under the watchful eyes of allies, the government's stance remains firm.

Despite legislative pressure, the Trump administration appears to be sticking to its position. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed he will meet with Danish leaders next week to discuss Greenland, but did not indicate the president was abandoning his goals.

This situation is drawing international attention, with allies, including France and Germany, reportedly working to coordinate their response to the United States.

Impact on gold: Short-term pressure and long-term support coexist, with an overall bias towards bullishness.

In the short term, the unilateral nature of restrictions on military action reduces the extreme risk of a sudden war, exerting slight downward pressure on gold prices. During Thursday's Asian trading session, spot gold edged lower, continuing the previous trading day's decline, with a daily drop of approximately 0.25%.

However, in the medium to long term, this incident reveals deep internal political divisions within the United States and keeps a highly sensitive geopolitical issue at the forefront, potentially solidifying and even increasing geopolitical risk premiums. Any short-term pullback in gold prices may be seen as an opportunity to position oneself against a backdrop of longer-term uncertainty, thereby triggering bargain hunting in the market and limiting the decline in gold prices to some extent.



(Spot gold daily chart, source: FX678)

At 10:11 Beijing time, spot gold is currently trading at $4447.74 per ounce.