US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump.
Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation.
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference.
Photo: Reuters
“You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass,” he added.
Trump argues the US needs the vast arctic island for national and international security, and has refused to rule out the use of force to get it.
“We are not talking about peace for the United States. We are talking about world peace. We are talking about international security,” Trump told to reporters at the White House on Friday.
Asked about the potential use of force, Vance stressed the US administration did not think that “is ever going to be necessary.”
“We think this makes sense, and because we think the people of Greenland are rational and good, we think we’re going to be able to cut a deal, Donald Trump-style, to ensure the security of this territory but also [of] the United States of America,” Vance said.
Vance was accompanied by his wife Usha, US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, US Senator Mike Lee and former US Homeland Security adviser Julia Nesheiwat, who is Waltz’s wife.
Danish and Greenlandic officials, backed by the EU, have insisted the US would not obtain Greenland.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has condemned the US decision to visit the arctic island uninvited — for what was initially a broader visit to Greenlandic society — as “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland and Denmark.
A majority of Greenlanders opposes US annexation, a January poll showed.
The Pituffik base is an essential part of Washington’s missile defence infrastructure, its location in the Arctic putting it on the shortest route for missiles fired from Russia at the US.
Known as Thule Air Base until 2023, it served as a warning post for possible attacks from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It is also a strategic location for air and submarine surveillance in the northern hemisphere.
In January, Copenhagen said it would allocate about US$2 billion to beef up its presence in the arctic and north Atlantic, acquiring specialized vessels and surveillance equipment.
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