Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede has strongly criticized an upcoming visit by Usha Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance, and other senior U.S. officials, calling it a “provocation” and “highly aggressive”. The visit, scheduled for Thursday, will include Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
According to the White House, Usha Vance will attend the island’s national dogsled race and “celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity.” However, Waltz and Wright’s plans to visit the Pituffik space base, a U.S. military facility in northern Greenland, have raised concerns among Greenlandic leaders.
Egede, who is Greenland’s outgoing prime minister, has expressed particular objection to Waltz’s visit, stating that his presence is a demonstration of power over Greenland. “What is the national security adviser doing in Greenland? The only purpose is to demonstrate power over us,” Egede said in an interview with Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq.
Denmark has also voiced opposition to the trip, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stating that it is “something we take seriously”. Frederiksen emphasized that Denmark wants to cooperate with the U.S., but based on “the fundamental rules of sovereignty.”
The visit comes amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Greenland over Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. should annex Greenland. Greenland’s strategic location and rich mineral resources make it an attractive target for the U.S., which could benefit from its location along the shortest route from Europe to North America and its potential role in the U.S. ballistic missile warning system.
However, both Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly rejected and criticized Trump’s annexation talk. Egede has made it clear that his caretaker government will not meet with the delegation, and Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Democrats, has accused the U.S. of showing a “lack of respect for the Greenlandic people”.
In response to the criticism, Brian Hughes, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, has stated that the visit aims to “build on partnerships that respect Greenland’s self-determination and advances economic cooperation”.
However, the visit’s timing, coinciding with coalition talks and municipal elections in Greenland, has only added to the controversy.
