U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland’s Pituffik military base amid renewed calls from President Trump for U.S. control of the island. The trip sparked protests, with Greenland’s leader calling it a "lack of respect." Trump insists Greenland is vital for U.S. security and global stability.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance landed in Greenland on Friday at a time when President Donald Trump is renewing his insistence that Washington should take control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The visit to the U.S. military base at Pituffik in the north of the Arctic island comes just hours after a new broad government coalition, which aims to keep ties with Denmark for now, was presented in the capital Nuuk.
The new prime minister said the U.S. visit signalled a "lack of respect" and called for unity in the face of "pressure from outside".
Denmark's king issued a statement of support on social media. "We live in an altered reality. There should be no doubt that my love for Greenland and my connectedness to the people of Greenland are intact," King Frederik said.
The U.S. delegation also includes Vance's wife Usha, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
The initial plan for the trip had been for Vance's wife to visit a dog-sled race on the island together with Waltz, even though they were not invited by authorities in either Greenland or Denmark.
Public protests and outrage from authorities in both Greenland and Denmark prompted the U.S. delegation to only fly to the military base and not meet the public.
Under the terms of a 1951 agreement, the U.S. is entitled to visit its base whenever it wants, as long as it notifies Greenland and Copenhagen. Pituffik is located along the shortest route from Europe to North America and is vital for the U.S. ballistic missile warning system.
Trump reiterated his desire to take over Greenland as recently as Wednesday, saying the U.S. needs the strategically located island for national and international security.
"So, I think we'll go as far as we have to go. We need Greenland and the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark," he said.
The island, whose capital is closer to New York than the Danish capital Copenhagen, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth, but development has been slow and the mining sector has seen very limited U.S. investment. Mining companies operating in Greenland are mostly Australian, Canadian or British.
A White House official has said Greenland has an ample supply of rare earth minerals that would power the next generation of the U.S. economy.
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