A U.S. delegation headed by Second Lady Usha Vance is traveling to Greenland this week as President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to purchase the territory.
The group is scheduled to fly out to the self-governing Danish territory on Thursday and return home on Saturday, March 29. The second lady will be joined by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Shortly before her trip was announced, Vance’s husband, JD Vance, suggested that the United States might need to “take more territorial interest in Greenland.”
Before accompanying Usha Vance to a U.S. military base, Waltz and Wright intend to tour historic sites and partake in local customs, like going to a dogsled race.
Several times, Trump has expressed his desire to seize mineral-rich Greenland for the United States. He even told Congress that he wanted to take control of the region “one way or another” because it would benefit “international security.”
The Trump administration has rejected the Trump administration’s efforts in Greenland, an island governed by Denmark, a U.S. ally. The country’s next prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, stated bluntly: “We don’t want to be Americans.”
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland in January, marking the first time members of his inner circle have traveled there in response to the president’s annexation proposals.
Greenland’s outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede told the Sermitsiaq newspaper: “Until recently, we could trust the Americans, who were our allies and friends, and with whom we enjoyed working closely. But that time is over.”
Waltz’s visit, in particular, was a “provocation,” Egede added.
“The only purpose is to show a demonstration of power to us, and the signal is not to be misunderstood. He is Trump’s confidential and closest adviser, and his presence in Greenland alone will certainly make the Americans believe in Trump’s mission, and the pressure will increase after the visit,” Egede claimed.
The most likely incoming Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, described the U.S. visit as a “provocation” and added that it “once again shows a lack of respect for the Greenlandic people.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the U.S. visit was “something we take seriously.”
She said Denmark wants to cooperate with the U.S., but based on “the fundamental rules of sovereignty.”
According to Reuters, White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes stated that the visit “presents an opportunity to build on partnerships that respect Greenland’s self-determination and advance economic cooperation.”
Back in February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about Trump’s quest for the United States to purchase Greenland.
Megyn Kelly asked Rubio: “How does Greenland fit into all of this?”
“Well, the Arctic, which has gotten very little attention, but the Arctic circle and the Arctic region is going to become critical for shipping lanes. For how do you get some of this energy that’s going to be produced under President Trump? These energies rely on shipping lanes. The Arctic has some of the most valuable shipping lanes in the world. As some of the ice is melting, there’s become more and more navigable. We need to be able to defend that,” Rubio began.
“So if you project what the Chinese have done, it is just a matter of time before — because they are not an Arctic power. They do not have an Arctic presence. So they need to be able to have somewhere that they can stage from. And it is completely realistic to believe that the Chinese will eventually, maybe in the short-term, try to do in Greenland what they have done at the Panama Canal and in other places. And that is install facilities that give them access to the Arctic with the cover of a Chinese company, but that in reality serve a dual purpose,” he added.
Rubio continued, “That in a moment of conflict, they could send naval vessels to that facility and operate from there. And that is completely unacceptable to the national security of the world and to the security of the world and the national security of the United States. So the question becomes, if the Chinese begin to threaten Greenland, do we really trust that that is not a place where those deals are going to be made? Do we really trust that that is not a place where they would not intervene, maybe by force?”
“I think that’s been the president’s point. And that is that Denmark can’t stop them. They would rely on the United States to do so. And so his point is, if the United States is on the hook to provide — as we are now, we have a defense agreement with them — to protect Greenland if it comes under assault, if we’re already on the hook for having to do that, then we might as well have more control over what happens there. And so I know it’s a delicate topic for Denmark, but it’s, again, a national interest item for the United States,” Rubio said.
