NUUK, Greenland (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Friday that Denmark has "underinvested" in Greenland’s security and demanded that Denmark change its approach as President Donald Trump continues to talk of taking over the Danish territory.
The pointed remarks came as Vance visited U.S. troops on Pituffik Space Base on the mineral-rich, strategically critical island.
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance said. “You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change.”
Vance said the U.S. has “no option” but to take a significant position to ensure the security of Greenland as he encouraged a push in Greenland for independence from Denmark.
“I think that they ultimately will partner with the United States,” Vance said. “We could make them much more secure. We could do a lot more protection. And I think they’d fare a lot better economically as well.”
Vance was joined by his wife and other senior U.S. officials for the visit to the American military base in a trip that was scaled back after an uproar among Greenlanders and Danes who were irked that the original itinerary was planned without consulting them.
Soon after arriving, Vance briefly addressed U.S. troops stationed at the base as he and his wife sat down to lunch with them, saying that the Republican administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is very interested in “Arctic security.” He and his entourage, including national security adviser Mike Waltz, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, then received briefings from military officials.
The revised trip to the semi-autonomous Danish territory comes as relations between the U.S. and the Nordic country, a traditional U.S. ally and NATO member, have soured. Trump had repeatedly suggested that the United States should in some form control the island.
During his remarks at the end of the brief visit, Vance underscored that he did not think military force was ever going to be necessary as he pressed the idea of a dramatically enhanced American position on the island.
“Because we think the people of Greenland are rational and good, we think we’re going to have to cut a deal, Donald Trump style, to ensure the security of this territory but also the United States of America,” Vance said.
In Washington, Trump on Friday said the U.S. “needs Greenland for international security.”
Trump, speaking to reporters soon after Vance’s arrival, alluded to the rising Chinese and Russian interest in the Arctic, where sea lanes have opened up because of climate change.
“Greenland’s very important for the peace of the world,” Trump said. “And I think Denmark understands, and I think the European Union understands it. And if they don’t, we’re going to have to explain it to them.”
Vance hasn't shied away from impolitic exchanges with global leaders during the early going of Trump's second White House term, in which the Republican leader has vowed dramatically shake up America’s approach on the world stage.
In his first overseas trip last month, Vance used a visit to an artificial intelligence summit in Paris to deliver an unmistakable message: The United States has room for you on the Trump train — but it also has no problem leaving you behind.
Days later at the Munich Security Conference, Vance lectured European officials on free speech and illegal migration on the continent.
Late last month, he laid into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being insufficiently grateful to the U.S. for its assistance since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. That disastrous Oval Office meeting led to Trump briefly cutting off military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Friday's one-day visit to the U.S. Space Force outpost at Pituffik, on the northwest coast of Greenland, removed the risk of potentially violating diplomatic custom by sending a delegation to another country without an official invitation. It also reduced the likelihood that Vance and his wife would cross paths with residents angered by Trump’s announcements.
It was minus-3 degrees F (minus-19 degrees C) when the delegation landed to sunny skies at the remote base 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) north of the Arctic Circle. “It’s cold as s—- here. Nobody told me,” Vance said, prompting laughs.
Ahead of Vance's arrival, four of the five parties elected to Greenland's parliament earlier this month signed an agreement to form a new, broad-based coalition government. The parties banded together in the face of Trump's designs on the territory.
“It is a time when we as a population are under pressure,” the prime minister-designate, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said before the accord was signed to applause and cheers in the capital, Nuuk.
He added that “we must stick together. Together we are strongest,” Greenland broadcaster KNR reported.
In a post on Instagram, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen congratulated Nielsen and his incoming government, and said, “I look forward to close cooperation in an unnecessarily conflict-filled time.”
Frederiksen said Tuesday that the U.S. visit, which was originally set for three days, created “unacceptable pressure." She has said Denmark wants to work with the U.S. on defense and security, but Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.
Initially, Vance's wife, Usha Vance, had announced a solo trip to the Avannaata Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut. The vice president subsequently said he would join her on that trip, only to change that itinerary again — after protests from Greenland and Denmark — to a one-day visit to the military post only.
Inhabitants of Nuuk, which is about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) south of Pituffik, voiced concern about Vance's visit and the U.S. interest in their island.
Cora Høy, 22, said Vance was “welcome if he wants to see it but of course Greenland is not for sale.” She added that “it’s not normal around here” with all the attention Greenland is getting. "I feel now every day is about (Trump) and I just want to get away from it.”
“It’s all a bit crazy. Of course the population here is a bit shook up,” said 30-year-old Inuk Kristensen. "My opinion is the same as everyone’s: Of course you don’t do things this way. You don’t just come here and say that you want to buy the place.”
As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, Greenland has broader strategic value as both China and Russia seek access to its waterways and natural resources.
“We need to ensure that America is leading in the Arctic, because we know that if America doesn’t, other nations will fill the gap where we fall behind,” Vance said.
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Grieshaber reported from Berlin and Madhani from Washington. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland, contributed to this report.
Philip Crowther, Kirsten Grieshaber And Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press
