US Vice President JD Vance Will Travel to Greenland Amid Increasing Controversy

Officials say that JD Vance’s planned travel to Greenland to talk about Arctic security is politically insensitive.

On Friday, US Vice President JD Vance will accompany his wife, Usha Vance, to Greenland, a visit that has drawn condemnation from Danish authorities.

The journey takes place as tensions over former President Donald Trump’s remarks regarding the purchase of the island have escalated.

In northwest Greenland, the Vances will go to Pituffik Space Base, where the vice president will meet with US military officers and receive a briefing on Arctic security, according to the White House. Initially, Usha Vance had intended to take her husband to the island for a cultural tour.

The trip comes after Trump and his supporters said that the United States should bolster its security interests in Greenland. Though it’s uncertain if he will follow through on his intentions, Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz was also scheduled to make a separate trip to the island this week.

In a video shared on social networking site X, JD Vance described the trip as a calculated attempt to increase Arctic security, claiming that the US has been ignoring Greenland for “far too long” and that “a lot of other countries have threatened Greenland.” The Trump administration, he continued, wants to “reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland.”

Greenlandic officials have retaliated, claiming the visits are “disrespectful.” Danish rule over the largest island in the world dates back about three centuries. Copenhagen controls its defense and international policy while managing its own internal issues.

The visit’s structure and timing were challenged by Dr. Dwayne Ryan Menezes, founder of the London-based Polar Research and Policy Initiative. According to him, it is “very unusual” for senior US officials to travel to Greenland without an invitation, especially so soon after the nation’s national election. Along with denouncing the US’s assertive posture, he cautioned that Trump’s previous statements of purchasing Greenland had alienated the local populace.

“As a tactic, demeaning the people of Greenland by claiming that the US will acquire it ‘one way or the other’ is ineffective and counterproductive,” Menezes stated.

According to recent surveys, around 80% of Greenlanders favor independence from Denmark, notwithstanding the resurgence of US interest. Greenland’s inclusion in the United States has been opposed by an even greater majority.

Washington’s continued strategic interest in Greenland is demonstrated by Vance and Waltz’s travels, especially as Arctic security becomes more important in world geopolitics. Local authorities’ reaction, however, indicates that a more diplomatic strategy could be needed for any future US involvement in Greenland.