Denmark on Wednesday welcomed a U.S. decision to confine a planned visit to Greenland to a military base after the plans triggered a spat between Copenhagen and the White House amid President Donald Trump's interest in taking over the island.
Denmark's prime minister said on Tuesday that a scheduled visit by Usha Vance, the wife of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, to a popular dog-sled race in Greenland this week was part of an "unacceptable pressure" on the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The White House on Tuesday announced that the delegation would instead be headed by JD Vance himself, but that it would only visit the U.S. Space Base at Pituffik in northern Greenland and not the dog-sled race, a big annual sporting event.
"I think it's very positive that the Americans cancelled their visit to the Greenlandic society. Instead, they will visit their own base, Pituffik, and we have nothing against that," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told broadcaster DR.
Polls have shown that nearly all Greenlanders oppose becoming part of the United States, and anti-American protesters, some wearing 'Make America Go Away' caps and holding 'Yankees go home' banners, have recently staged some of the largest demonstrations ever seen in Greenland.
Similar protests had been planned in connection with the Vance's visit.
DE-ESCALATION
The change of plans was seen as a de-escalation of the diplomatic dispute.
Ole Waever, professor at the University of Copenhagen, said there had been widespread concerns about "a soft power operation and creeping American infiltration" that many Greenlanders had found threatening.
"The credit for the positive turn must be given to Greenland ... Caps off to them for that," he said, referring to the planned protests.
Marc Jacobsen, associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, also said the changes were a relief.
"It seems they have misread the mood in Greenland," he said.
The organisers of the dog-sled race said in a statement on Wednesday that they had received grants from the American consulate in Nuuk.
Since Donald Trump Jr.'s private visit to the mineral-rich island in January, Trump has consistently talked of annexing Greenland and urged its residents to join the United States.
One of two U.S. Hercules military transport planes that arrived in Nuuk late on Sunday with bulletproof vehicles onboard has left Nuuk airport, FlightRadar data showed.
Greenland's acting head of government, Mute Egede, had labelled the visit a "provocation," as it coincides with government coalition talks following a recent parliamentary election as well as municipal elections due next week.
Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said on Tuesday the delegation aimed to "learn about Greenland, its culture, history, and people."
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has disputed the notion of a private visit with official representatives and has repeatedly said that Greenland should determine its own future.
Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede has also stressed that the island is not for sale and that it is up to its people to decide their future.
Greenland is strategically important for the U.S. military and its ballistic missile early-warning system, since the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the island.
A 1951 agreement between the United States and Denmark established a U.S. right to move around freely and construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified.
Greenland's incoming prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has dismissed any discussion of annexing the semi-autonomous territory as "unacceptable."
The United States has expressed its willingness to form a partnership with Greenland in the event of its independence from Denmark, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasising the need to prevent Chinese influence in the region.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has firmly pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed interest in acquiring Greenland, declaring that the Arctic island “belongs to the Greenlanders.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is in Greenland for high-level discussions, focusing on collaboration and the evolving role of the Arctic territory. The visit comes at a time of increased global interest in the region, prompting renewed dialogue on its future.
Greenland's incoming Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen pledged on Monday to strengthen ties with Denmark while pursuing the Arctic island's ultimate goal of independence.
A mob attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi has left one man dead, highlighting ongoing persecution of the minority group.
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The new U.S. ambassador to Japan has called for closer military coordination with Tokyo, framing the alliance as crucial amid rising regional tensions and ongoing trade disputes.
Students in Serbia have rallied outside a police station as Belgrade University’s rector is questioned over support for anti-government protests.
OpenAI has unveiled a new option called Flex processing, an API service designed to provide more affordable AI model usage in exchange for slower response times and occasional resource unavailability.
The Russian ruble has emerged as the top-performing currency globally in 2025, registering an impressive 38% appreciation against the US dollar since the beginning of the year, according to a report by Bloomberg.
A small plane crashed near Kopake, New York, on April 13, killing at 6 people. The Mitsubishi MU-2B aircraft, carrying six people, went down under unclear circumstances. This marks the second aviation accident in New York in a week, raising safety concerns.
Several regions in Ukraine faced heightened alert on Palm Sunday, as reports of explosions and missile threats drew public attention and official responses.
Severe rainfall on April 17 led to flooding and landslides in the Piedmont region, prompting a large-scale emergency response from over 400 firefighters.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for April 16th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A mob attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi has left one man dead, highlighting ongoing persecution of the minority group.
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The new U.S. ambassador to Japan has called for closer military coordination with Tokyo, framing the alliance as crucial amid rising regional tensions and ongoing trade disputes.
Students in Serbia have rallied outside a police station as Belgrade University’s rector is questioned over support for anti-government protests.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov extended Moscow’s support for the ongoing indirect nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, offering to mediate or assist in any way that would be beneficial to Tehran and acceptable to Washington.
A mob attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi has left one man dead, highlighting ongoing persecution of the minority group.
A Russian court has sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to nearly three years in prison for protesting the war in Ukraine using poetry and graffiti.
The new U.S. ambassador to Japan has called for closer military coordination with Tokyo, framing the alliance as crucial amid rising regional tensions and ongoing trade disputes.
Students in Serbia have rallied outside a police station as Belgrade University’s rector is questioned over support for anti-government protests.
OpenAI has unveiled a new option called Flex processing, an API service designed to provide more affordable AI model usage in exchange for slower response times and occasional resource unavailability.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment