BRUSSELS

A group of European Parliament members from several EU countries on Wednesday called for the immediate freeze of the approval process of a proposed trade agreement with the US, citing renewed remarks by US President Donald Trump questioning Denmark’s territorial integrity over Greenland.

In a letter sent to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the Conference of Presidents, the lawmakers urged the parliament to halt any treatment of the agreement "for as long as claims for Greenland and threats are made by the US administration."

The letter refers to recent statements by Trump and members of his administration expressing an intention to "take over" Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, describing such remarks as a threat to the international rules-based order.

"Threats and undermining of the international rules-based order and threats of territorial expansion should never be accepted and will surely only serve to further destabilise an already uncertain world," the lawmakers said.

"What would be even worse than simply remaining silent in the face of the shocking US statements, would be to be seen to reward it. Yet that is what might very well happen, if we do not act now," they added.

The agreement, reached last summer between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trump, concerns adjustments of customs duties and the opening of tariff quotas for certain US goods and is scheduled for plenary approval in February.

"If we go through and approve a deal that Trump has seen as a personal victory, while he makes claims for Greenland and refuse to rule out any manner in which to achieve this, it will be easily seen as rewarding him and his actions," the letter said.

Beyond freezing the agreement, the lawmakers called on the European Parliament to clearly communicate to the European Commission, the EU Council and Washington that it would not consider agreements with a partner threatening EU territorial integrity.

They also urged the commission to suspend any further negotiations with the US until such threats cease.

The letter was made public by Danish lawmaker Per Clausen, who said on the US social media platform X that he hoped the European Parliament's leadership would respond promptly.

Trump said Sunday that the US must "acquire" Greenland to prevent a takeover of the island by Russia or China. He previously described owning Greenland as an "absolute necessity" for US economic security, likening it to a "large real estate deal."

Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has attracted US interest due to its strategic location and vast mineral resources.

Denmark and Greenland have rejected proposals to sell the territory, reaffirming Danish sovereignty over the island.