A high-ranking US delegation is set to visit Greenland this week. However, politicians on the island are not impressed. They clearly don't believe that the Americans are coming just to watch a dog sled race.
Greenlandic politicians have criticized the planned visit of a high-ranking US delegation this week. Retired Prime Minister Mute Egede described the visit as a "provocation" and assured that his caretaker government will not meet with US representatives.
“Until recently, we could trust the Americans, who were our allies and friends and with whom we worked closely. But that time has passed,“ Egede told a Greenlandic newspaper „Sermitsiaq“.
Who is in the American delegation?
Earlier, the White House announced that this week the wife of the American Vice President J.D. Vance will visit the island, which is of interest to President Donald Trump. Together with Usha Vance, Trump's national security adviser Mike Walz will travel to Greenland. According to the White House, the American delegation will arrive on Thursday on the island, which is part of Denmark. During its visit, the American delegation, which also includes the son of Usha and J.D. Vance, will visit various sites, learn more about the historical heritage of Greenland and attend a traditional dog sled race in Sisimiut, the German public media ARD reported.
In this regard, the outgoing Prime Minister Egede criticized the „foreign influence“ in Greenland. The visit cannot be considered a purely private trip, he wrote on Facebook. "I can understand that people are worried," the head of government said. The US's attitude towards Greenlanders has recently been unacceptable, and that is not how close friends and allies act, he added.
According to ARD, these were the words of the Greenlandic prime minister about Trump's idea of annexing the resource-rich island. Geographically, Greenland is located in North America, politically it is part of Denmark, but has an autonomous status. The country held parliamentary elections on March 11, and negotiations for a new government are currently underway.
“Lack of respect“
Democrat leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen also criticized the plans for a visit by a US delegation. Referring to the ongoing coalition negotiations and the upcoming local elections on April 1, he said that the visit shows “once again the lack of respect for the Greenlandic people“. The Democrats, who won the elections in Greenland, are demanding a gradual separation of Greenland from Denmark.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared her readiness to cooperate with the United States, but stressed that this should be done on the principle of respecting sovereignty. The dialogue should also be conducted in close coordination with the future Greenlandic government, she added.
However, White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes tried to downplay what happened, explaining that this was “a simple visit to learn more about Greenland, its culture, history and people, and to participate in a dog sled race that the United States will be proud to sponsor“.
Protests against takeover plans
Trump is not giving up on his plans to take control of Greenland. He justifies this with national and international security. His son Donald Trump Jr. brought further media attention to the issue when he visited the capital Nuuk in early January.
Just a week ago, hundreds of people in Nuuk and elsewhere protested against Trump's plans for Greenland. NATO partner Denmark insists that the island's citizens can decide their own future and eventual independence from the Danish kingdom. Greenlandic politicians are currently in the process of forming a new government.
Until 1953, Greenland was a Danish colony and has enjoyed broad autonomy since then, including the right to declare independence. According to a recent survey by the Verian Institute for Public Opinion Research, a majority of Greenlanders would vote for independence. The island has vast untapped natural resources. Its economy depends on fishing and subsidies from Denmark, ARD also recalls.