US delegation to visit Greenland
WASHINGTON—A high-profile US delegation will visit Greenland this week to visit an American military base and watch a dogsled race as President Donald Trump promotes the idea of a US annexation of the strategic, semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Usha Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance, will lead the delegation that includes White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Waltz and Wright plan to visit the Pituffik space base, the US military base in Greenland. The White House said they will get briefings from US service members there.
They will then join Vance to visit historical sites and attend the national dogsled race.
Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said the US team is “confident that this visit presents an opportunity to build on partnerships that respects Greenland’s self determination and advances economic cooperation.”
Learning visit
“This is a visit to learn about Greenland, its culture, history and people, and to attend a dogsled race the United States is proud to sponsor, plain and simple,” Hughes said.
Trump has made US annexation of Greenland a major talking point since taking office for a second time on Jan. 20. Greenland’s strategic location and rich mineral resources could benefit the US It lies along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for the US ballistic missile warning system.
The governments of both Greenland and Denmark have voiced opposition to such a move.
The Greenlandic government, which currently is in a caretaker period after a March 11 general election won by a party that favors a slow approach to independence from Denmark, did not reply to requests for comments.
Commenting to news on the visit, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Denmark wants to cooperate with the US, but it should be based on “the fundamental rules of sovereignty.”
