US Vice President J.D. Vance said he will visit Greenland this week to assess the security situation.
Vance noted that his wife Usha's planned trip to Greenland with the US delegation, scheduled for March 27-29, has attracted a lot of attention.
„There was so much excitement surrounding Usha's trip to Greenland this Friday that I decided not to leave all the fun to her. So I'm joining her," the US vice president said in X.
Vance explained that he intended to meet with US military personnel who are based in Greenland, and also "just check in on the security situation in Greenland."
"This is very important. Many other countries have threatened Greenland. They have threatened to use its territory and sea lanes to threaten the United States, Canada and the people of Greenland," the US vice president added.
"So we will check in on how things are going there." He noted that the US wants to "enhance the security of the people of Greenland".
The White House said in a statement that Usha Vance "will travel to Greenland with her son as part of a US delegation to visit historical sites and learn about Greenlandic heritage". The document notes that US officials intend to attend the sled dog races.
The New York Times reported on March 23 that “National Security Adviser Mike Walz is expected to visit a US military base“ in Greenland. He will be accompanied by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright. The publication did not specify the dates of the trip. As the publication notes, “a White House spokesman did not respond to a question about whether other US officials had been invited”.
Resigned Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede called the previously planned trip by Usha Vance and the US delegation “a blatant provocation”. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that in the current situation, the island does not need US visits and called the American visit “pressure on Greenland“.
On March 13, US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that the US would annex Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
On March 4, Trump said that he would approve a decision by the people of Greenland to join the autonomous Danish territory to the US. The American leader has stated several times that Greenland should join the US. He has threatened to impose high trade tariffs on Denmark unless it gives up the island. Already during his first presidential term, Trump proposed buying Greenland. The Danish and Greenlandic authorities rejected this idea.
Greenland is part of Denmark as an autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen, in addition to their commitments to the NATO alliance, signed a Greenland Defense Treaty. In accordance with it, the United States undertook to defend the island from aggression. The American Pituffik space base is located there, which performs the tasks of a missile attack warning system and control of the Arctic zone.