US vice president JD Vance will fly to Greenland this week, after accusing American and Danish leaders of ignoring the island “for far too long”.
He will join second lady Usha Vance and energy secretary Chris Wright as part of a delegation to visit the Pituffik space base, the US military base in Greenland.
Originally, Ms Vance had planned to attend a popular dog-sled race in Greenland – a move Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen criticised as putting “unacceptable pressure” on the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Announcing the change in destination to the US base, Mr Vance said he didn’t want his wife to “have all that fun by herself,” before adding that “a lot of countries have threatened” the world’s largest island.
Mr Vance then said: “We’re going to check out how things are going there.
“Speaking for President Trump, we want to reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland because we think it’s important to protecting the security of the entire world.”
Image: JD Vance said ‘we want to reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland’. File pic: Reuters
The vice president also claimed US and Danish leaders had “ignored Greenland for far too long” and that “we think we can take things in a different direction”.
Greenland’s strategic location, at the northeastern tip of the North American continent and as the gateway to the Arctic Ocean. as well as its rich mineral resources, would benefit the US.
It also lies along the shortest route from Europe to North America, and is vital for the US ballistic missile warning system.
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3:28
From 13 March: Trump thinks Greenland will be annexed
The governments of both Greenland and Denmark have voiced opposition to such a move.
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede told newspaper Sermitsiaq that his nation has tried “all diplomatic and democratic options”, but Mr Trump’s mission is “to own and control Greenland”.
And on Tuesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen accused the US of putting “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland.
Waltz omitted from announcement
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz was originally set to take part in the Greenland visit.
However, his name was omitted from the latest announcement, according to the Associated Press (AP).
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Speaking on Tuesday evening, Mr Waltz said he took responsibility for creating the group, adding: “I built the group. So look, that’s the part that we have to figure out…
“Embarrassing? Yes, but Pete [Hegseth, US defence secretary] and I are veterans.”
It remains unclear why the officials chose to chat via Signal instead of secure government channels typically used for sensitive discussions.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump told Sky News’ US partner, NBC News, that the lapse “turned out not to be a serious one” and expressed his continued support for Mr Waltz.
JD Vance has told Denmark it has “not done a good job” with Greenland during a visit to the territory – as President Donald Trump repeated his call for the US to take over the island.
Vice President Vance, his wife Usha and other senior US officials arrived at an American military base in Greenland, the semi-autonomous territory that has been a part of Denmark for more than 600 years.
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Mr Vance said.
“You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people.
“We need to ensure that America is leading in the Arctic.”
Shortly before Mr Vance spoke from Greenland on Friday, Mr Trump continued his threats of taking over the territory, saying: “We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security.
“We have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of you think we can do without it – we can’t.”
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0:44
‘We need Greenland’ says Trump
The one-day visit to the US Space Force outpost at Pituffik – located on the northwest coast of the territory – has avoided violating potential diplomatic taboos of a state sending a delegation to another country, without an invitation.
The trip had been scaled back after locals were angered that the original itinerary was made without consulting them – particularly in light of Mr Trump’s repeated claims that the US should control Greenland.
Speaking to soldiers at the US base, Mr Vance claimed Denmark – and Europe by extension – has failed to protect the region.
Image: JD Vance tours the US military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. Pic: Reuters
He said: “This place, this base, this surrounding area, is less secure than it was 30-40 years ago, as some of our allies have not kept up…
“Europe (has) not kept pace… with military spending, and Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view to keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of aggressive incursions from Russia, China, and other nations.”
Mr Vance said Mr Trump was “a president of peace”, adding: “We respect the self-determination of Greenlanders, we believe in the self-determination of the population of Greenland.”
Asked if plans have been drafted to use military force to take over Greenland, he indicated the White House planned to wait for the people of the territory to vote for self-determination before acting.
“What the president has said… is that we need to have more of a position in Greenland,” he added.
Image: JD Vance and his wife have lunch with soldiers at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. Pic: AP
Greenland is the world’s largest island, with a population of 57,000, and is also a founding member of NATO.
Straddling the Arctic circle between the US, Russia and Europe, the island offers a unique geopolitical advantage that America has eyed for more than 150 years.
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was not surprised the US wants control of Greenland given its long-time interest in the mineral-rich territory.
“It can look surprising only at first glance and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current US administration,” Mr Putin said.
Two events this week will give Greenland and friends in Europe a juddering sense of alarm.
From the West, the US vice president JD Vance has landed for a controversial visit, despatched by a president openly talking of annexation.
From the East a speech from a Russian leader hinting at carving up the Arctic and its vast mineral wealth with Moscow’s new friends in Washington.
Image: The US vice president and his wife arrive at the US military base in Greenland. Pic: Reuters
In a closely watched speech, Vladimir Putin seemed to give Donald Trump’splans to seize Greenland the green light.
They were “serious”, he said, and “have deep historical roots”.
Kremlin officials went further saying Russia was open to cooperating with America to exploit the Arctic with “joint investment”.
The Arctic is a huge prize. Its vast mineral wealth is increasingly accessible thanks to climate change.
More on Greenland
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Russia is well placed to exploit it with bases and ports ringing the Arctic Circle.
Mr Putin though warned that “NATO countries in general are increasingly designating the Far North as a springboard for possible conflicts”.
Image: A map of what surrounds the Arctic Circle
This would appear to be a warning to European nations to back off.
Yet another challenge for Europe
The threat of Russia and America jointly exploiting the Arctic in a great power carve-up is yet another challenge for Europe in this new Trumpian world order. And Greenland is caught in the middle.
Mr Trump has said he thinks the American annexation of Greenland “will happen”.
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3:04
What do Greenlanders make of Trump?
He said so with breezy nonchalance in front of NATO’s secretary general in the White House as if taking another alliance member’s territory was entirely normal.
Astonishingly NATO secretary general Mark Rutte did not push back at the idea.
But it seems the Trump administration is determined one way or another to acquire more territory and Greenland seems top of the list.
And its president may have been persuaded by Mr Putin it is in his best interests to share the world with Russia, whatever that means for America’s allies.
US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene hit the headlines this week when she told Sky’s US correspondent Martha Kelner to “go back to your own country”.
It was the latest controversy in a political career for the Republican firebrand – a staunch supporter of US President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
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2:45
Sky reporter told ‘go back to your own country’
But who is she and how influential has she become?
Host Jonathan Samuels speaks to Tia Mitchell, Washington bureau chief for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who has been covering Ms Taylor Greene since she first entered politics five years ago.
She tells us what she’s like in person, how she emerged and her most controversial moments.