No Welcome Mat: Greenlanders Criticize US Trip to the Island

Greenland’s leaders criticized an upcoming trip by a US delegation led by US Second Lady Usha Vance to the semi-autonomous Danish island, which the US has said it wants to annex, as an ill-timed pressure campaign, Reuters wrote.

The official goal of the delegation, which includes White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright with the mission scheduled to start Thursday, is to visit a US military base and watch a dogsled race sponsored by the US.

Brian Hughes, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said the visit aims to strengthen partnerships respecting Greenland’s self-determination, advance economic cooperation, and learn about its culture, history, and people.

But Greenland’s outgoing Prime Minister Múte Egede said that the visit cannot be considered a “harmless visit” and that the only purpose of including the US national security adviser as part of the delegation is “to demonstrate power over us,” according to Politico.

Greenland held a parliamentary election on March 11 this year with the center-right opposition Democrats taking first place in the vote. Next month, it will hold municipal elections. Meanwhile, Egede said no meetings with government officials can take place until the new governing coalition is formed.

Meanwhile, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Democrats party and who will likely become the new prime minister, urged Greenlanders to remain calm and described the visit as a “pure charm offensive.”

Trump initially expressed interest in Greenland in 2019 but has recently repeatedly said the US needs the island for “national security purposes” and will take it “one way or the other.”

Anders Vistisen, a Danish far-right Member of the European Parliament, criticized the Vance-led delegation’s visit to Greenland, calling it “provocative” and an “interference” in their democratic process as it comes just before the local elections.

Greenland became a self-governing territory in 2009 but Denmark still controls its foreign and security policy. A majority of Greenlanders say they want independence from Denmark and most reject the idea of becoming the 51st US State, the BBC noted.

Last week, protesters gathered outside the American Embassy in the capital of Nuuk with signs expressing their opposition to the annexation of Greenland, according to the London Economic. The governments of both Greenland and Denmark have also voiced opposition to any US takeover.