The visit follows Donald Trump’s threat to take over the island, joining his wife Usha on a trip to Greenland on Friday.
According to the White House, the couple receives a briefing on Arctic security issues and heads to Pitafik Space Station to meet members of the US military stationed there.
Usha Vance had planned to travel to Danish territory on a cultural visit before her husband announced his plans. Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz is also scheduled to visit on another trip this week.
Greenland officials vehemently criticized the planned visit as rude.
Greenland – the world’s largest island between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans – has been ruled by approximately 3,000 km (1,860 miles) of Denmark for about 300 years.
It manages its own domestic issues, but decisions regarding foreign and defence policies will be made in Copenhagen. The United States has long held its safe interests and military presence there since World War II.
Located northwest of Greenland, Pituffik Space Station supports missile warning, air defense and space surveillance missions.
In a video posted on social media platform X, Vance said there was a lot of excitement about his wife’s trip to Greenland. He “didn’t want her to have that much fun on her own,” so he joined her.
He said that visiting military facilities was to ensure the island’s safety as “many other countries threatened Greenland, using their territory and waterways to threaten the United States, threaten Canada, and of course the people of Greenland.”
He added that the Trump administration wants to “revitalize the safety of the people of Greenland,” and that the US and Denmark are ignoring it because it is “too long.”
It is unclear if Mike Waltz is still planning to visit. The BBC contacted the White House for confirmation.
Dr. Dwayne Ryan Menezes, founder and managing director of London-based Polar Research and Policy Initiative Shink Tank, criticised the visit.
He said it was “very unusual” for a high-level delegation of US officials to visit Greenland without being invited, especially after a national election in a country where the parties are still in discussions to form the next government.
He said that Greenland’s interest in security makes sense given the strategic importance of the US. However, he added that it is “inexplicable” for Washington, D.C. to take such a proactive approach, especially in light of Trump’s comments on the acquisition of territory.
“The people in Greenland say the US will acquire it ‘in some way’ and it will be useless as a tactic and counterproductive,” he added.
Recent polls show that almost 80% of the Greenlanders have retreated their independence from Denmark. However, a January opinion survey suggested that more people rejected the idea of becoming part of the United States.
