US Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Denmark during a visit to Greenland today, saying it had not done a good job of protecting the semi-autonomous Danish territory and its people from encroachments by China and Russia.
Vance said the United States has no immediate plans to expand its military presence in Greenland, but will invest in resources, including additional Navy ships, Reuters reports.
"Denmark has not kept up or allocated the necessary resources to maintain this base, to protect our troops, and in my opinion, the people of Greenland, from numerous very aggressive incursions from Russia, China and other countries," Vance said, without providing details about the alleged incursions.
Vance spoke during a visit to the US military base Pitufik in the north of the Arctic island, just hours after a new broad-based government coalition was unveiled in the capital Nuuk, which plans to maintain ties with Denmark for now.
Upon arrival, Vance greeted members of the US military and thanked them for their service at the remote base, which is located 1.200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. The outside temperature in Smurftown was -19 degrees Celsius.
While Vance was visiting, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the United States needed Greenland for "peace throughout the world."
"We need Greenland, and it's very important, for international security. We have to have Greenland. It's not a question of 'can we do without it?' - We can't," Trump said, according to Reuters.
Trump said that Greenlandic waters are "full of Chinese and Russian ships" and that the United States will not rely on Denmark or anyone else to resolve the situation.
Denmark and the European Union understand why Greenland is important to world peace – “and if they don’t understand, we’ll have to explain it to them,” Trump added.
Greenland's new prime minister said the US visit showed a "lack of respect" and called for unity as they face "external pressures".
The King of Denmark expressed his support on social media. "We live in a changed reality. There can be no doubt that my love for Greenland and my connection to the people of Greenland is intact," King Frederik said.
The American delegation, in addition to Vance, also included his wife Usha, National Security Advisor Mike Walz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
The original plan was for Vance's wife and Waltz to visit a sled dog race on the island, although authorities in Greenland and Denmark did not invite them.
Public protests and government disapproval in both countries forced the American delegation to visit only the military base, without meeting with citizens, writes Reuters.
Under a 1951 treaty, the US has the right to visit its base whenever it wants, with the obligation to notify Greenland and Copenhagen. Pitufik is located along the shortest route between Europe and North America and is a vital point for the US ballistic missile warning system.
The island, whose capital is closer to New York than Copenhagen, is rich in minerals, oil and natural gas, but development has been slow and American investment in the mining sector has been very limited. Most mining companies are Australian, Canadian or British.
A White House official said Greenland has an abundance of rare minerals that could power the next generation of the American economy.
The new government
Greenland's new Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nilsen, called for political unity today.
"At a time when we are under pressure as a people, we need to stick together," Nielsen said at a press conference.
His pro-business party, the Democrats, which advocates gradual independence from Denmark, had the largest support in the March 11 elections.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who called the initial plans for the US visit “unacceptable,” congratulated Greenland on its new government via Instagram: “I look forward to close cooperation in a time unnecessarily burdened by conflict.”
The question now is: how far is Trump willing to go with the idea of taking over the islands, says Andreas Esthagen, a senior researcher on Arctic policy and security at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Oslo.
"It is still unlikely that the US will use military means," he told Reuters.
"But unfortunately, it is likely that President Trump and Vice President Vance will continue to use other means of pressure, such as vague statements, semi-official visits to Greenland, and economic instruments," he added.
"Not for sale"
By changing the visit plan, the Trump administration is trying to focus the discussion on topics that matter to it: the US presence in Greenland, military capabilities and broader Arctic security, said Catherine Sendak, director of the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington.
"A change of course was necessary," she told Reuters.
Still, some Nuuk residents remained angry about the US administration's visit.
"I am a human being. Humans are not for sale. We are not for sale," film director Tungutak Larsen told the British agency.
Opinion polls have shown that almost all Greenlanders reject the idea of becoming part of the United States. Anti-American protesters, some wearing caps reading “Down with America” and banners reading “Yankees, go home,” have staged some of the largest protests ever seen in Greenland.
On Thursday, Nuuk residents stuck Greenlandic flags into the snow and a cardboard sign in English: "Our Land. Our Future."
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