Vance and wife to tour US military base in Greenland after diplomatic
spat over uninvited visit
[March 28, 2025]
By PHILIP CROWTHER and KIRSTEN GRIESHABER
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife are due
to visit an American military base in Greenland on Friday in a trip that
was scaled back after an uproar among Greenlanders and Danes who were
irked that the original itinerary was planned without consulting them.
The couple's revised trip to the semi-autonomous Danish territory comes
as relations between the U.S. and the Nordic country have soured after
U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested that the United States
should in some form control the mineral-rich territory of Denmark — a
traditional U.S. ally and NATO member.
Friday's one-day visit to the U.S. Space Force outpost at Pituffik, on
the northwest coast of Greenland, has removed the risk of potentially
violating diplomatic custom by sending a delegation to another country
without an official invitation. It will also reduce the likelihood that
Vance and his wife will cross paths with residents angered by Trump’s
annexation announcements.
Ahead of the visit, four of the five parties elected to Greenland's
parliament earlier this month agreed to form a new, broad-based
coalition government, banding together in the face of Trump's designs on
the territory.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday that the visit,
which was originally set for three days, created “unacceptable
pressure." On Thursday she was cited by Danish public broadcaster DR as
saying: “We really want to work with the Americans on defense and
security in the kingdom. But Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
Initially, Usha Vance had announced a solo trip to the Avannaata
Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut. Her husband then subsequently said
he would join her on that trip, only to change that itinerary again —
after protests from Greenland and Denmark — to a one-day visit of the
couple to the military post only.
Nonetheless, in an interview on Wednesday, Trump repeated his desire for
U.S. control of Greenland. Asked if the people there were “eager” to
become U.S. citizens, Trump said he didn’t know “but I think we have to
do it, and we have to convince them.”
Inhabitants of Greenland's capital, Nuuk — which is about 1,500
kilometers (930 miles) south of Pituffik — voiced concern about Vance's
visit and the U.S. interest in their island.
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Vice President JD Vance speaks at Marine Corps Air Station Quantico
during a tour Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Quantico, Va. (AP
Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Cora Høy, 22, said Vance was “welcome if he wants to see it but of
course Greenland is not for sale.” She added that “it’s not normal
around here” with all the attention Greenland is getting. "I feel
now every day is about (Trump) and I just want to get away from it.”
“It’s all a bit crazy. Of course the population here is a bit shook
up,” said 30-year-old Inuk Kristensen. "My opinion is the same as
everyone’s: Of course you don’t do things this way. You don’t just
come here and say that you want to buy the place.”
As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches
to North America, Greenland has broader strategic value as both
China and Russia seek access to its waterways and natural resources.
During his first term, Trump floated the idea of purchasing the
world’s largest island, even as Denmark insisted it wasn’t for sale.
The people of Greenland also have firmly rejected Trump’s plans.
Vance has several times criticized long-standing European allies for
relying on military support from the United States, openly
antagonizing partners in ways that have generated concerns about the
reliability of the U.S.
Opponents of Trump's plans to control Greenland announced a rally in
front of the American embassy in the Danish capital for Saturday, DR
reported Thursday.
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Grieshaber reported from Berlin.
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