U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife are due to visit an American military base in Greenland on Friday in a trip that was scaled back after an uproar by Greenlanders and Danes who were irked that the original itinerary was planned without consulting them.
The couple’s revised trip to the semi-autonomous Danish territory comes as relations between the U.S. and the Nordic country have soured after U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested that the United States should in some form control the mineral-rich territory of Denmark — a traditional U.S. ally and NATO member.
Friday’s one-day visit to the U.S. Space Force outpost at Pituffik, on the northwest coast of Greenland, has removed the risk of violating potential diplomatic taboos by sending a delegation to another country without an official invitation. It will also reduce the likelihood that the Vance and his wife will cross paths with residents angered by Trump’s annexation announcements.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday that the visit, which was originally set for three days, created “unacceptable pressure.” On Thursday she was cited by Danish public broadcaster DR as saying: “We really want to work with the Americans on defense and security in the kingdom. But Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
Initially, Usha Vance had announced a solo trip to the Avannaata Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut. Her husband then subsequently said he would join her on that trip, only to change that itinerary again — after protests from Greenland and Denmark — to a one-day visit of the couple to the military post only.
Nonetheless, in an interview on Wednesday, Trump repeated his desire for U.S. control of Greenland. Asked if the people there were “eager” to become U.S. citizens, Trump said he didn’t know “but I think we have to do it, and we have to convince them.”
As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, Greenland has broader strategic value as both China and Russia seek access to its waterways and natural resources.
During his first term, Trump floated the idea of purchasing the world’s largest island, even as Denmark insisted it wasn’t for sale. The people of Greenland also have firmly rejected Trump’s plans.
Vance has several times criticized long-standing European allies for relying on military support from the United States, openly antagonizing partners in ways that have generated concerns about the reliability of the U.S.
In the meantime, opponents of Trump’s plans to control Greenland, announced a rally in front of the American embassy in the Danish capital for Saturday, DR reported Thursday.
The protesters were planning to speak out against “American pressure against Greenland and Denmark” and “unwanted visits from the U.S. government,” DR reported.
