A high-profile United States trip to Greenland has been labelled “completely unacceptable” in what could be seen as the country’s latest attempt to exert control over the island territory.
US vice president JD Vance has announced overnight he will visit the island as part of Donald Trump’s goal of “protecting the security of the world”.
“Looking forward to visiting Greenland,” Vance wrote on X.
He will join second lady Usha Vance, who was already scheduled to visit Greenland on Thursday, along with senior White House officials — a move that has already drawn condemnation from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
The delegation includes White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and energy secretary Chris Wright, who will visit an American military base while in Greenland,
‘Unacceptable pressure’
Frederiksen told Danish channel TV 2: “I have to say that it is unacceptable pressure being placed on Greenland and Denmark in this situation. And it is pressure that we will resist.”
Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, not a country. Its population of about 56,000 are full citizens of Denmark and, by extension, the European Union.
Although controlled by Denmark, Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, is over 3,500km away from Copenhagen and sits between the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans, off the coast of North America.
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in annexing the island, dating back to his first term in office in 2019.
“President Trump is serious … He wants Greenland. Therefore, it cannot be seen independently of anything else,” Frederiksen told Danmarks Radio.
“It is clearly not a visit that is about what Greenland needs or what Greenland wants from a visit. Therefore, no matter how we twist it, it is a completely unacceptable pressure on Greenland, the Greenlandic politicians and the Greenlandic population, but it is also on Denmark and thus the kingdom.”
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, visited Greenland in January, a move that was also criticised by Frederiksen.
‘Foreign interference’
Greenland Prime Minister Múte B Egede has described the US delegation’s visit as “foreign interference”.
“It should be said clearly that our integrity and democracy must be respected without foreign interference,” he told reporters.
Egede said the US delegation’s visit “cannot be seen as just a private visit”.
Calling the visit “highly aggressive” in an interview with Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq on Monday AEDT, he warned that US pressure on Greenland would intensify.
“What is the national security adviser doing in Greenland? The only purpose is to demonstrate power over us; his mere presence in Greenland will no doubt fuel American belief in Trump’s mission — and the pressure will increase,” he said.
Why does Trump want to acquire Greenland?
Trump discussed acquiring Greenland during his presidential campaign and later wrote on his platform Truth Social that US ownership of the territory is an “absolute necessity”.
“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” he wrote in December.
As the largest island in the world, Greenland is rich in natural resources.
According to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, “there is a huge potential for oil exploitation in the waters” offshore.
The island is also crucial to US interests due to its location on the shortest route between North America and Europe and its role as home to a key American space facility.
Its surrounding waters are considered a security “black hole”, with vast areas lacking government or military surveillance.
