A high-profile US delegation is traveling to Greenland this week to visit a US military base and watch a dogsled race as US President Donald Trump promotes the idea of an annexation of the strategic, semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Usha Vance, wife of US Vice President J.D. Vance, is to lead the delegation that includes US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
Waltz and Wright plan to visit the Pituffik space base, the US military base in Greenland. The White House said they would be briefed by US service members there.
Photo: AP
They are then to join Usha Vance to visit historical sites and attend the national dogsled race.
Brian Hughes, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said the US team is “confident that this visit presents an opportunity to build on partnerships that respects Greenland’s self-determination and advances economic cooperation.”
“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,” Hughes said.
Trump has made the annexation of Greenland a major talking point since taking office for a second time on Jan. 20. Greenland’s strategic location and rich mineral resources could benefit the US. It lies along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for the US ballistic missile warning system.
The governments of both Greenland and Denmark have voiced opposition to such a move.
The Greenlandic government, which is in a caretaker period after a March 11 general election won by a party that favors a slow approach to independence from Denmark, did not reply to requests for comment.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a written comment reacting to news of the visit said that “this is something we take seriously.”
She said Denmark wants to cooperate with the US, but it should be cooperation based on “the fundamental rules of sovereignty.”
She added that dialogue with the US regarding Greenland would take place in close coordination with the Danish government and the Greenlandic government.
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