House Speaker Mike Johnson is set to make an important visit to London later this month, where he will address the UK Parliament. This significant event is scheduled for January 20 and will focus on the enduring relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, particularly as the US commemorates the 250th anniversary of its founding.

Johnson’s planned visit was announced shortly after he diverged from many of his colleagues on Capitol Hill by seemingly supporting the US administration’s controversial stance on Greenland. This position has stirred tension among European leaders, including UK officials, due to the audacious nature of the proposal to acquire the island, which is an autonomous territory under Denmark’s sovereignty.

Adding to the international intrigue, the United States recently seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker, Bella 1, in the North Atlantic. This operation took place between Iceland and Scotland, further escalating activities near UK territorial waters.

In comments made on Tuesday, Johnson highlighted that many consider Greenland to be of strategic importance for the United States. Despite this, he reassured on Wednesday that the US is not in conflict with Greenland, stating clearly, “America is not at war with Greenland.”

Johnson noted Tuesday that ‘Greenland is viewed by a lot of people as something that would be a strategic positioning for the US.’

On Wednesday, however, Johnson said that America is ‘not at war with Greenland.’

‘All this talk about military action—I don’t think anybody is considering that,’ Johnson also told reporters at his weekly press conference.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that ‘acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States,’ adding that ‘utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.’

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to the press following a briefing by members of the Trump administration on U.S. operations in Venezuela, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on January 5, 2025

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK House of Commons said he was ‘honoured in this 250th anniversary year of American Independence to welcome Speaker Johnson to Parliament.’

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged President Donald Trump to stop threatening to seize Greenland on Tuesday, throwing his support behind NATO member Denmark after it rebuked the US President’s persistent demands to take the Arctic territory.

‘Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,’ read a joint statement issued by Starmer and fellow European leaders, President Macron of France, Chancellor Merz of Germany, Prime Minister Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Tusk of Poland, Prime Minister Sánchez of Spain, and Prime Minister Frederiksen of Denmark on Greenland. 

Announcing his upcoming UK visit, Johnson noted that ‘as our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of American Independence, I am honored and humbled by Speaker Hoyle’s invitation to address Parliament.’

Johnson also noted that as ‘America begins its Semiquincentennial celebration, I will be happy to visit one of the great shrines of democracy itself, where the principles that launched the long struggle for American liberty were debated and refined.’

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK House of Commons, said he was ‘honoured in this 250th anniversary year of American Independence to welcome Speaker Johnson to Parliament.’ 

Johnson will be the first US House Speaker to speak before the Parliament, despite one of Hoyle’s predecessors, Speaker Thomas, inviting Speaker Albert of the U.S. House of Representatives to Speaker’s House to mark the 200th anniversary of the US.  

US Vice President JD Vance (C) and Second Lady Usha Vance (R) stand with Col. Susan Meyers (L), commander of the US military’s Pituffik Space Base, as they tour the base in Greenland on March 28, 2025

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026

Vice President JD Vance visited the island of Greenland and the Pituffik Space Base early in his term, along with his wife, Usha.

The Vances’ visit was marred by controversy. Colonel Susannah Meyers, the commander of the Base, was removed from her role last April after she publicly disagreed with remarks made by the Vice President during the trip.