U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday that he remains confident the United States and Britain will preserve their long-standing “special relationship,” even as tensions emerge over Greenland that risk straining bilateral ties.
Johnson’s visit, timed to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence from British rule, comes at a sensitive moment for transatlantic relations. It follows remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned Britain and other European nations of possible tariffs unless they allow the United States to purchase Greenland.
Trump has also sharply criticised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over an agreement to transfer sovereignty of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands to Mauritius—comments that appear to reverse the administration’s earlier backing of the deal.
“We’ve always been able to work through our differences calmly as friends, and we will continue to do that,” Johnson told lawmakers in the British parliament. “I want to assure you this morning that that remains the case.”
Johnson said he met Starmer on Monday and praised the prime minister for striking “exactly the right message and the right tone” in a statement issued earlier that day. In it, Starmer called for calm dialogue to resolve differences over Greenland, warning against a trade war while reaffirming the strength of the partnership between the two countries.
