Saturday 29 / March / 2025
Washington DC: Denmark on Wednesday welcomed a White House decision to limit the scope of a planned visit to Greenland by the United States Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance.
JD Vance said Tuesday that he would be accompanying his wife on her three-day trip to the autonomous Danish territory, which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to take over.
In a video statement, the vice president said that he and his wife would only visit the US' Pituffik Space Base to meet with US service members based there and "check out what's going on with the security" of Greenland.
The change of plans came shortly after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede had slammed the US delegation's plans to visit the Arctic island without being invited.
On Sunday, the White House had said that Usha Vance would visit Greenland from Thursday to Saturday as part of a delegation that would include Trump's National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
The US Second Lady had been due to view historical sites, learn about Greenland's heritage, and watch the Avannaata Qimussersu, the Arctic territory's national dogsled race.
"I think it's very positive that the Americans have cancelled their visit among Greenlandic society. They will only visit their own base, Pituffik, and we have nothing against that," Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Danish public broadcaster DR.
"The cars (from the US advance security detail) that were delivered a few days ago are in the process of being sent back home, and the wife of the US vice president and the national security adviser will not visit Greenlandic society," Lokke Rasmussen said, adding that "the matter is being wound up and that's positive."
Why is Trump eyeing Greenland?
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has insisted that he wants the US to take over Greenland for national security reasons, refusing to rule out using force to do so.
The mineral-rich and strategically located Arctic territory is part of Denmark, a US ally and fellow member of NATO.
The White House's original plans had angered political leaders in Denmark and in Greenland.
This month, a Greenlandic party that favours gradual independence from Copenhagen won a general election in the territory. Parties are still in talks to form a new coalition government.
Polls suggest that a majority of Greenland residents support independence from Denmark but are against being annexed by Washington.
