Denmark has not done its job in Greenland, said Vice President JD Vance. But he also said that Greenland itself must choose between Denmark and the United States.
Greenland is the world's largest island. Greenland is self-governing, but is part of Denmark. The island belongs geographically to North America, but politically to Europe.
Denmark has not done a good enough job when it comes to security in Greenland,
said Vance.
He pointed out that both Russia and China are showing great interest in the Arctic.
If we do not take responsibility here, other nations will fill the gap. This place is less safe than it was 30-40 years ago. Denmark has not done what it should have done to keep the people of Greenland safe, said Vance.
He added that greater investment in Greenland is necessary, to ensure a greater military presence on the island.
The United States must ensure that Greenland is safe. A safe Greenland is important to keep the United States safe, he said.
Donald Trump has said several times that “we must have Greenland”. Vance was asked about this by the press corps after his speech.
We respect that Greenland has self-government. The people here must decide. But we believe that it is better for Greenland to be under the U.S. “security umbrella” than the Danish one. We do not believe that military force will ever be necessary. We have good faith that we will be able to make an agreement, said Vance.
The visit from the United States took place on the same day that Greenland got a new government. The guests from the United States were not invited, and no meeting with Greenlandic authorities was planned.
In addition to Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Donald Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz were on the trip.
Immediately after landing at 5 p.m., Vance and the rest of the delegation were welcomed inside the base.
It's fucking cold here, said Vance, before saying a little about the fact that the United States is very interested in Greenland and in issues related to security in the Arctic.
While the delegation was being briefed inside the base, Trump met with the press back home in the United States.
There he reiterated that it is important for the United States to gain control of Greenland.
We must have Greenland, it is important for international security, it is about world peace. There are Chinese and Russian ships everywhere there, warships too. We cannot trust Denmark or anyone else,
said Trump.
The new government in Greenland is made up of the parties Demokraatit, IA, Siumut and Atassutire.
Together, these parties have 23 of the 31 seats in parliament. Only Naleraq, who wants a faster process for separation from Denmark, is outside the government.
Leader of Demokraatit (Democrats), Jens-Frederik Nielsen will be the new Prime Minister of Greenland. He has nothing left for the visit from the USA.
JD Vance lands at a facility belonging to the USA. But coming to visit when Greenland does not have a sitting government, we still believe it is disrespectful to an ally, Nielsen told several Danish media.
Initially, the wife of the Vice President was supposed to come to visit to "get to know Greenlandic culture" and participate in a dog sled race. Later, it was decided that the vice president himself would also join.
Just before the weekend, it became clear that the Americans would not stop by the capital, Nuuk. Now the plan was for them to go directly to the American military base, and return to the United States later in the evening.
Donald Trump has recently stepped up his rhetoric and said that the U.S. "must have Greenland".
This has caused unrest on the island.
In January, Trump's son was on a private day visit, while his father held a press conference in Florida and proclaimed that Greenland must become part of the United States.
Even Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, is reacting to the president's mention of Greenland.
The language he uses can be compared to the language that Vladimir Putin uses about Ukraine, he said during an interview with the American MSNBC on Friday.
Source: NRK.no (in Norwegian)
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