US Vice President JD Vance announced on Tuesday that he would accompany his wife Usha on Friday to the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, the Danish self-governing island coveted by President Donald Trump.
Since returning to power in January, Trump has insisted he wants to take over Greenland for national security purposes, refusing to rule out the use of force to do so.
Vance’s announcement came just hours after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede harshly criticised plans by a US delegation to visit the Arctic island uninvited.
Egede had qualified the initial plans as “foreign interference”, noting the outgoing government had not “sent out any invitations for visits, private or official”.
Following March 11 elections, Greenland has only a transitional government, with parties still in negotiations to form a new coalition government.
“We have asked all countries to respect this process,” Egede had said in a Facebook post.
Yet the White House announced on Sunday that Usha Vance would travel to Greenland from Thursday to Saturday, while Egede had said US national security adviser Mike Waltz was also expected to take part.
US media had reported that Energy Secretary Chris Wright would be part of the visit as well.
Usha Vance had been scheduled to view “historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage and watch the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race,” in the southwestern town of Sisimiut, the White House had said.
Frederiksen denounced that visit as “unacceptable pressure” being put on Greenland and Denmark, and vowed “to resist”. (AFP)
