Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation.
Nuuk, Mar.28.– President Donald Trump suggested a possible annexation of Greenland for strategic and security reasons, but faces strong opposition from Greenland’s new Government, led by Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who is emphasizing unity against external pressure.
During a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, Vance commented: “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” and he added: “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass.”
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen hit back at Vance in a statement to Danish media: “For many years, we have stood by the Americans in very difficult situations,” she said, referring to Danish combat deployments alongside American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The Vice President’s reference to Denmark is not accurate,” she said, expressing her readiness to “cooperate day and night with the Americans” on Arctic security.
President Trump recently argued that the United States needs the vast Arctic island for national and international security and has refused to rule out the use of force to secure it. We are not talking about peace for the United States. We are talking about world peace. We are talking about international security,” Trump claimed to reporters at the White House this morning.
The United States has long viewed Greenland as vital to national security. In the early 20th century, it included Greenland among several European possessions in the Western Hemisphere to preemptively seize and fortify in the event of a threatened attack on the US. During World War II, the US invoked its Monroe Doctrine and occupied Greenland to prevent use by Germany following the German occupation of Denmark. The US military remained in Greenland after the war, and by 1948, Denmark abandoned attempts to persuade the US to leave. The following year, both countries became members of the NATO military alliance. A 1951 treaty gave the US a significant role in Greenland's defense, and, about 1953, construction began on Thule military base, adjacent to the Pituffik Space Base, located in northwest Greenland.