US VP joins wife on high-profile trip to Greenland to "review military presence"

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance has announced that he will be traveling to Greenland this week to assess the security situation, particularly in light of growing international tensions surrounding the region.

Vance revealed that his wife, Usha Vance, had planned a trip to Greenland from March 27-29 with a U.S. delegation, which had generated considerable interest.

"There was so much excitement around Usha’s trip to Greenland this Friday that I decided not to leave all the fun just to her. That’s why I’ll be joining her," the Vice President shared on X, indicating that he would be participating in the visit for both official and personal reasons, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The Vice President further explained that his visit will focus on meeting with U.S. military personnel stationed at the base in Greenland. He emphasized the importance of checking the security situation, especially as "many other countries have threatened Greenland." These threats, according to Vance, involve using Greenland's territories and sea lanes to potentially jeopardize the security of the U.S., Canada, and Greenland itself. "We will check in to see how things are going there," Vance added, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to enhancing the security of Greenland’s people.

A White House statement detailed that Usha Vance, along with their son, will be part of a U.S. delegation visiting Greenland. The trip will involve exploring historic sites and learning about Greenlandic heritage, with the delegation also attending traditional dog sled races.

The trip comes amidst other high-profile U.S. visits to Greenland. The New York Times reported on March 23 that U.S. Assistant to the President for National Security Mike Waltz and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright are also expected to visit a U.S. military base in Greenland. However, the timing of their trip was not specified, and a White House spokesperson did not respond to inquiries about whether U.S. officials had been officially invited.

The visit has stirred controversy, with outgoing Greenlandic government chairman Mythe Egede describing Usha Vance’s planned trip as a "clear provocation." Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed that Greenland did not need such visits at the moment, calling the American delegation’s arrival "pressure on Greenland."

This visit follows a series of remarks made by former U.S. President Donald Trump. On March 13, Trump expressed confidence that the U.S. would annex Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. Earlier, on March 4, Trump suggested he would approve of a decision by the people of Greenland to join the U.S., and in previous years, he had repeatedly stated his desire for Greenland to become part of the U.S. He had even threatened to impose high trade duties on Denmark if it refused to cede the island. Trump's proposal to buy Greenland was rejected by both Danish and Greenlandic authorities.

Greenland, as an autonomous territory of Denmark, has been strategically significant for both nations. The U.S. and Denmark signed the Greenland Defense Treaty in 1951, which reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to defending Greenland against aggression, alongside NATO obligations. The island is also home to the American Pituffik space base, which plays a critical role in missile warning systems and Arctic zone control.

By Tamilla Hasanova