This weekend, Vice President JD Vance’s wife visits Greenland with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
They have not received an invitation, neither from Greenland nor from Denmark – and Mette Frederiksen says it is “unacceptable pressure” and that President Trump is serious about his threats to take control of the giant island.
The US describes the visit as unofficial, but it comes shortly after Trump has repeatedly put pressure on Greenland and Denmark with his statements that the US wants to take over the island.
– This cannot be seen independently of the statements and reports that we have heard from the US side, from January until now, Frederiksen told TV2, arguing that “you cannot make a private visit with official representatives from another country“.
– This is clearly not a visit that is about what Greenland needs or what Greenland wants from visitors from outside now.
“He wants Greenland”
Trump administration officials themselves claim that this is a purely cultural visit and that they will attend a sled dog race, among other things.
However, Frederiksen does not give much credence to this explanation, and she points out that government negotiations are currently underway following the Greenlandic election earlier in March – in addition, Greenlandic politicians have explicitly said no to foreign state visits at the moment.
– President Donald Trump is serious and means business. He wants Greenland, warns the Danish Prime Minister.
“We are allies”
Greenland’s head of government, Múte B. Egede, has said that the uninvited visit clearly shows a lack of respect for Greenland on the part of the Americans, and Frederiksen shares that view. She also emphasizes that Denmark and the US have a long history of close cooperation and that she continues to regard the country as an important ally.
– There is nothing but a desire on the part of both Greenland and Denmark to cooperate with the Americans. We are allies. We have a defense agreement on Greenland that goes back to 1951.
– But it is clear that when you organize a visit in this way and the Greenlandic politicians clearly say that they do not want the visit, you cannot interpret it as respectful, she continues.
Nordic for 1000 years
Greenland has been Danish since the early 1700s. First as a colony, then as a Danish county and today as an autonomous and largely self-governing region of the Danish realm. Already 1000 years ago, however, the island was discovered by Nordic adventurers – which The Nordic Times also wrote about.
Today, the island is mainly populated by Inuit and the independence movement is strong on the island, with most parties believing that Greenland should be neither Danish nor American – but with different views on how and at what pace sovereignty should be achieved.
In the recent election, the social liberal Demokraatit became the largest party – much to the relief of many Danish politicians. While this party also wants Greenlandic independence, it believes that it must be achieved gradually and wants to maintain close ties and a good relationship with Denmark – while taking a dim view of US ambitions to take it over.
