JD Vance and Wife to Visit US Military Base in Greenland After Diplomatic Tensions Over Uninvited Trip

Nuuk: US Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance are due to visit American military base in Greenland on Friday in a one-day trip that was scaled back after an uproar among Greenlanders and Danish netizens who were irked that the original itinerary was planned without consulting them.

The couple's rescheduled visit to the semi-autonomous Danish territory comes after strained relations between the US and Denmark. Tensions rose after President Donald Trump repeatedly proposed that the US should have some form of control over the Greenland territory of Denmark, a traditional ally and NATO member.

Vance Might Face Spat From Greenlanders

One-day visit to the US Space Force outpost at Pituffik, located on Greenland’s northwest coast, avoids the risk of breaching diplomatic protocol by sending a delegation without an official invitation. This change also lowers the chances of JD Vance and his wife encountering residents upset by Trump’s previous annexation proposals.

Four of the five parties elected to Greenland's parliament earlier this month have agreed to form a new, broad-based coalition government, uniting against Trump's plans for the territory.

Also Read: Trump Declares US Will 'Go as Far as We Have To' for Greenland

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday that the originally planned three-day visit put "unacceptable pressure" on the situation. On Thursday, she told Danish public broadcaster DR, “We want to cooperate with the Americans on defense and security in the kingdom, but Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”

3-Day Visit Reduced To 1 Day After Protests

Initially, Usha Vance had planned a solo trip to the Avannaata Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut. Her husband later announced he would join her, but after protests from Greenland and Denmark, they altered their itinerary to a one-day visit to the military post instead.

Despite the changes, Trump reiterated his interest in US control over Greenland in a Wednesday interview. When asked if Greenlanders were eager to become U.S. citizens, he said he wasn’t sure but believed it was something that needed to be pursued and that they would have to “convince them.”

Residents of Greenland's capital, Nuuk, located about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) south of Pituffik, expressed concerns over Vance's visit and the U.S. interest in their island.

(with AP inputs)