US Vice President JD Vance's itinerary changes to Greenland and Denmark bring cautious relief
Greenland and Denmark were cautiously relieved earlier on Wednesday, with reports that U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife were changing their itinerary as they visited Greenland, which reduced the possibility that they would cross with residents of the Trump administration’s attempted to annex the Arctic Island, which would cross with residents, a semi-self Danish territory.
The couple will now visit the U.S. Space Force outpost in Pituffik on the northwest coast of Greenland, instead of the avannaata Qimussersu dog in Sisimiut, which Usha Vance previously announced.
President Donald Trump has hinted that the United States should control much of Europe in some form to control the autonomous, mineral-rich territory of U.S. allies and NATO members. As a maritime gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic North American regions, Greenland has broader strategic value as both China and Russia seek to obtain their waterways and natural resources.
The Vice President decided to visit the U.S. military base in Greenland to eliminate the risk of violating potential diplomatic taboos by sending delegations to another country without a formal invitation. However, Vance also criticized European allies for relying on U.S. military support to openly confront partners in a way that has attracted attention to U.S. reliability
The timing of Vance's visit attracted people's attention
Denmark Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told the Danish Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday that Vances' latest travel plans are a good thing. The minister said the change was a blurting mouth, even if he said Americans viewed it as the opposite, Vance in online videos suggesting global security is at risk.
Danish MP and conservative Greenland spokesman Rasmus Jarlov wrote on X that the new schedule means Vances will avoid any confrontation with the Greenlands. Jarlov pointed out that after all, the vice president who visited the U.S. military base was not controversial.
Marc Jacobsen, a professor at the Royal Defence Academy, said Vance was allowed to visit the space base because a 1951 agreement was reached between Denmark and U.S. defense.
“The time is controversial here,” he said. “Greenland and Denmark are very clear that after the elections early this month, when Greenland has no government without government, they now don't want the United States to visit immediately.” Coalition negotiations are underway.
The dissatisfaction with the Greenland and Denmark governments grew before the vice president announced that he would join his wife, which posted on Facebook on Monday night that “no invitations to visit, neither private nor official”.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the Danish National Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday that the visit was “unacceptable pressure” and the Danish Foreign Ministry said it was not involved in the plan.
Vance says Greenland has been ignored for too long
Usha Vance's office said on Sunday that she will set out for Greenland on Thursday and return on Saturday. Her office said she and one of the couple’s three children had planned to visit the historic sites and learn about Greenland’s culture, but her husband’s involvement repositioned national security around national security.
The vice president said he didn't want his wife to “have all the fun alone” and said he planned to visit the Space Force. Vance said other countries threaten Greenland and threaten the United States and Canada
Vance said leaders in Denmark and North America have “ignored” Greenland for “too long.”
During his first semester, Trump proposed the idea of buying the world's largest island, although Denmark insisted it wasn't for sale. The people of Greenland also firmly rejected Trump's plan.
Dwayne Ryan Menezes, founder and managing director of the Polar Research and Policy Program, said the Trump administration’s “intimidation” against Greenland could be counterproductive.
Menetzs said that if Trump is “smart enough” to understand Greenland’s strategic importance, he should also be “smart enough to know that there is no greater way to undermine the U.S. hands and harm its long-term interests than rejecting his allies, which is the main asymmetric advantage he enjoys against his opponents.”
Trump's return to the White House includes a desire for territorial expansion as he tries to make Canada the 51st state and restore our control over the Panama Canal. He also said that U.S. interests could take over the land in the war-torn Gaza Strip and turn it into a luxurious outpost, displaced as a whopping 2 million Palestinians.
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Associated Press writer Jamesy Keaten contributed reports at Stefanie Dazio in Geneva and Berlin.
