American Vice President JD Vance together with his wife Uša, they will visit Greenland on Friday, which has angered the residents of the largest island in the world (not counting Australia, which is also a continent).
Donald Trump, Vance's boss, has repeatedly reiterated the idea of annexing the island to the United States, which has been criticized by both Greenlandic officials and Danish officials, under whose administrative control the island, which has some autonomy, is located.
The Vance couple will visit the US Spaceport Pitufik in Greenland to learn about Arctic security issues and meet with US forces, the White House announced.
The visit to Danish territory, for cultural reasons, was first announced by Usha Vance, but then her husband announced that he was also planning to go.
A separate visit to Greenland was also announced by Mike Walz, Trump's national security adviser.
Greenlandic officials have strongly criticized the planned visits, accusing US officials of "disrespect."
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Greenland, the largest island in the world, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, has been controlled by Denmark, almost 300 kilometers away, for about 3.000 years.
Greenland has a certain autonomy: it manages its internal affairs, but decisions on foreign and defense policy are made in Copenhagen.
The US has had a long-standing security interest and military presence there since World War II.
The Pitufik Space Base, in northwest Greenland, is tasked with preventing missile attacks, is equipped with an air defense system, and its mission is also space exploration.
U recording In a post on the X social network, Vance said his wife was very excited about visiting Greenland.
"I'll join her. I don't really want her to have so much fun alone," he added. American vice president.
He also says that by visiting the American base he wants to see the level of security on the island, because "many other countries threaten Greenland, they threaten to use its territories and its waterways to threaten the United States, to threaten Canada and, of course, to threaten the people of Greenland."
The Trump administration wants to "reinforce the security of the people of Greenland," which America has "ignored for too long," Vance believes.
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Dr. Dwayne Ryan Menezes, founder and CEO of the Polar Research Center and Polar Initiative (Polar Research and Policy Initiative think tank), from London, criticized the announced visit.
"It's very unusual" for a high-ranking delegation of US officials to visit Greenland uninvited, especially after the country's national elections, where parties are still negotiating to form a future government, he said.
The US interest in Greenland's security, given its strategic importance, makes sense, he said.
But, he adds, it is "inexplicable" that Washington has taken such an aggressive approach, especially in light of Trump's comments about taking territory.
"Disrespecting the people of Greenland by saying the US will acquire it 'one way or another' is a useless and counterproductive tactic," he added.
According to recent polls, almost 80 percent of Greenlanders support independence from Denmark.
But a public opinion poll in January showed that even more people oppose the idea of becoming part of the US.
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