US President Donald Trump has intensified his assertions regarding Greenland, articulating that the United States requires the Danish island for the sake of international security.
“We need Greenland for international safety and security. We need it. We have to have it,” Trump expressed during an interview with podcaster Vince Coglianese. He candidly continued, “I hate to put it that way, but we’re going to have to have it.”
These remarks emerge just ahead of a contentious visit from Vice President JD Vance. Earlier, Denmark’s Prime Minister criticized a scheduled trip by Usha Vance, the Vice President’s wife, to a popular dog-sled race in Greenland, labeling it as “unacceptable pressure” on the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The White House announced that the delegation would be headed by Vice President Vance himself. However, their itinerary now includes only a visit to the US Space Base at Pituffik in northern Greenland, omitting the dog-sled race entirely. In a statement, Vance’s office mentioned that he would be traveling alongside Usha to Pituffik Space Base “to receive a briefing on Arctic security issues and meet with US service members.”
In a video message, Vice President Vance remarked on the “tremendous excitement” surrounding his wife’s initial plans for Greenland, which motivated him to join her on the trip. “Looking forward to visiting Greenland on Friday! ” he tweeted.
Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen welcomed the change of plans, stating, “I think it’s very positive that the Americans cancelled their visit to the Greenlandic society. Instead, they will visit their own base, Pituffik, and we have nothing against that.”
However, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen condemned the US delegation’s visit, arguing it exerted “unacceptable pressure” on both Greenland and Denmark. According to Greenland’s outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede, US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz is also expected to visit Greenland this week, alongside reports indicating that Energy Secretary Chris Wright will make the trip as well.
These visits, currently framed as private, have drawn ire from Danish and Greenlandic politicians. Prime Minister Frederiksen asserted, “You can’t organise a private visit with official representatives of another country.”
This situation unfolds amidst a period of political uncertainty in Greenland, where parties are negotiating a new coalition government following the general election on March 11. Frederiksen emphasized, “This is clearly not a visit that is about what Greenland needs or wants. The pressure being put on Greenland and Denmark in this situation is unacceptable. And it’s pressure we will resist.”
In a Facebook post, the outgoing Greenlandic government stated that they had not “sent out any invitations for visits, private or official.”
The significance of Greenland is enhanced by its vast untapped mineral and oil reserves. The transitional government has requested that all countries respect their ongoing political processes. Since his return to power in January, President Trump has maintained that he desires to take over Greenland primarily for national security reasons, leaving the door open to the possibility of using force.
In his video message, Vance pointed out that potential threats to the United States, Canada, and Greenland are tied to other nations seeking to exploit the territory.
Greenland, a self-governing territory in the process of seeking greater autonomy from Denmark, currently prohibits oil and uranium exploration. However, it holds substantial strategic value, positioned between North America and Europe at a time when the United States, China, and Russia have shown increasing interest in the Arctic region, especially as climate change opens new sea routes.
Moreover, Greenland’s geographical placement allows it to be a pivotal point on the shortest path for missiles traveling between Russia and the United States. Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the likely new Prime Minister from the center-right Democrats who recently won the elections, has publicly criticized Trump’s interest in Greenland as “inappropriate.”
Aaja Chemnitz, a member of the Danish parliament representing Greenland, also lambasted the US delegation’s visit, asserting, “No one from the Greenlandic official system has invited the so-called tourists. They’re coming, using soft power diplomacy and also focusing on security issues, and this is totally unacceptable.”
Despite this, President Trump claimed that the visit was indeed at Greenland’s invitation. “We’ve been invited,” he asserted to reporters, adding, “We’re dealing with a lot of people from Greenland that would like to see something happen with respect to being properly protected and properly taken care of.”
In response to the ongoing tension, Prime Minister Frederiksen reiterated Denmark and Greenland’s openness to collaboration with the US, stating, “We are allies, we have a defense agreement on Greenland that dates back to 1951. There is nothing that indicates, neither in Denmark nor Greenland, that we don’t want to cooperate with the Americans.”
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
