Greenlanders embrace Danish PM after JD Vance's disastrous visit

Yahoo

03-04-2025

The people of Greenland have warmly welcomed the Danish prime minister after pointedly rebuffing US vice-president JD Vance and Usha Vance, the second lady, during their visit last week.
Mette Frederiksen was cheered upon her arrival in the Danish overseas territory for a three-day visit that has been characterised as a show of solidarity in the face of repeated US take-over threats.
One resident shouting from a window said: 'Hey Mette! Thanks for being here,' according to Danish public broadcaster DR. Footage of the prime minister descending the steps of her aeroplane shows two people embracing her.
The scenes marked a stark contrast from the arrival of Mr Vance and his wife at a US airbase on the island on 24 March, when no official representatives from Greenland or Denmark came to greet them.
'It is clear that with the pressure put on Greenland by the Americans, in terms of sovereignty, borders and the future, we need to stay united,' Ms Frederiksen said after arriving.
Her visit is timed to reassure the island's 57,000 residents, the vast majority of whom want to become independent from Denmark but do not wish to become part of the United States, polls show.
Donald Trump has repeatedly said the US should take over Greenland for security reasons and has not ruled out the possibility of using military force to do so, causing relations with Denmark to sour.
In a pointed message to Mr Trump, Mette Frederiksen said 'you cannot annex another country.'
The vice president and his wife were widely mocked when the second lady's plans for a solo visit to the island were jettisoned after locals refused to turn-out to greet her.
Mrs Vance had originally been slated to visit the territory with one of her sons to watch the Avannaata Qimussersu dog-sled race in Sisimiut.
However, the programme was reorganised amid diplomatic backlash, with Mr Vance announcing he would join his wife at the last minute.
Reports later emerged that US representatives had spent a week canvassing door-to-door in Nuuk ahead of the diplomatic sojourn to sound out if residents would welcome a visit from Mrs Vance.
The US advances were shot down by Greenlandic residents, according to TV 2 reporter Jesper Steinmetz, who said the 'Americans' charm offensive mission has failed'.
During the visit, which lasted only a matter of hours, Mr Vance addressed US troops at a Pituffik military base, where he criticised Denmark for not having 'done a good job by the people of Greenland' by 'underinvesting' in security.
Mr Vance declared that the US could no longer 'bury our head in the snow' and ignore China's attempts to establish itself in the semi-autonomous territory.
He also explicitly urged Greenlanders to vote for independence from Denmark, urging its citizens to join the US's 'security umbrella' in comments that caused outrage in Copenhagen.
Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Greenland's foreign minister, responded in a post on social media that 'we are open to criticisms, but let me be completely honest, we do not appreciate the tone in which it's being delivered'.
Meeting on the sidelines of a Nato summit in Brussels on Thursday, Marco Rubio, the US state secretary, reassured Mr Rasmussen of the 'strong' ties between the countries.
According to The Washington Post, the White House is currently estimating the cost for the US federal government to control Greenland, and the potential revenues it could derive from exploiting its largely untapped natural resources.
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