Washington DC:
Displeased would be an understatement to describe the way leaders in Greenland are feeling about the planned visit of the Second Lady of the United States, Usha Vance. In less than 24 hours since the high-profile visit was announced by Washington, there has been severe criticism across the semi-autonomous Danish territory that Donald Trump has threatened to annex for national security reasons.
Greenland’s prime minister and the interim government has decided to boycott the visit.
The delegation, led by Usha Vance, will visit the US military base in Greenland. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright will be part of the delegation. The visit comes two months after President Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., went to Greenland for what was described as “a private visit”.
The US delegation visit will be from Thursday, March 27 to Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Donald Trump has, on several occasions, repeated his stance that the US aims to “buy Greenland”, almost suggesting that there are no other options left. He has not ruled out Washington’s use of force to achieve this goal.
President Trump has said it is “necessary” to make Greenland, which is known to be rich in mineral resources, part of the US, citing national security reasons.
Greenland’s outgoing prime minister, Mute Egede, has called the high-profile US visit “a provocation”, and said that they are not welcome in the country. Stopping a visit to the US military base would not be possible due to treaty obligations, but the interim government will not be meeting the US delegation, he said.
“Until recently, we could trust the Americans, who were our allies and friends, and with whom we enjoyed working very closely, but that time is over,” Greenland’s prime minister said.
The Greenlandic government, Naalakkersuisut, is currently in a caretaker phase following a March 11 parliamentary election won by the Democrats, a pro-business party that favours a slow approach to independence from Denmark.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Democrats, called for political unity and strongly criticized the timing of the US delegation’s visit. “We must not be forced into a power game that we ourselves have not chosen to be a part of,” Mr Nielsen said.
Ahead of her visit, Second Lady Usha Vance, shared a video via the US consulate in Greenland, in which she said her visit to Greenland is meant to “celebrate the long history of mutual respect and cooperation between our nations”.
SLOTUS VISITING GREENLAND
🇬🇱 Hands up If USA should purchase Greenland. pic.twitter.com/fkduBBVOPB
— Usha Vance News (@UshaVanceNews) March 23, 2025
Amid mounting flak in Greenland, the White House has said that “This is a visit to learn about Greenland, its culture, history, and people and to attend a dogsled race the United States is proud to sponsor, plain and simple.”
“The visit aims to build on partnerships that respects Greenland’s self-determination and advances economic cooperation,” White House spokesperson Brian Hughes said.
According to news agency Reuters, to prepare for the visit, Washington has already sent two US Hercules military transport planes, carrying security personnel and bulletproof vehicles. Denmark has also sent dozens of police personnel to Greenland’s capital Nuuk to boost the delegation’s security.
The US National Security Adviser and Energy Secretary plan to visit US’ space base in Pituffik, which is located along the shortest route from Europe to North America, and is vital for ballistic missile warning systems.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that the top US delegation announcing a visit is “something we take very seriously”. She added that on matters of “the fundamental rules of sovereignty”, Denmark expects the United States to respect Copenhagen and the government of Greenland.
(Inputs from Reuters)
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