US vice-president JD Vance announced yesterday that he would on Friday accompany his wife Usha to the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, the Danish self-governing island coveted by President Donald Trump.
That announcement came just hours after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede harshly criticised plans by a US delegation to visit the Arctic island uninvited.
The White House had announced that Usha Vance would travel to Greenland from tomorrow to Saturday, while Egede had said US national security adviser Mike Waltz was also expected to take part.
US media had reported that energy secretary Chris Wright would be part of the visit as well.
Usha Vance was scheduled to view “historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage and watch the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race”, in the southwestern town of Sisimiut, the White House had said.
Instead, JD and Usha Vance will now only travel to the Pitiffuk base to visit US Space Force members based there and “check out what’s going on with the security” of Greenland, JD Vance said in a video.
Since returning to power in January, Trump has insisted he wants to take over Greenland for national security purposes, refusing to rule out the use of force to do so.
“I think it’s very positive that the Americans have cancelled their visit among Greenlandic society. they will only visit their own base, pituffik, and we have nothing against that,” Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told public broadcaster DR.
The original plans had angered Greenlandic and Danish politicians, coming at a time of political flux in Greenland, where parties are still negotiating to form a new coalition government following a March 11 general election.
“The cars (from the US advance security detail) that were delivered a few days ago are in the process of being sent back home, and the wife of the US vice-president and the national security adviser will not visit Greenlandic society,” Lokke Rasmussen said.
“The matter is being wound up and that’s positive,” he added.