The United States Vice President JD Vance, accused on Friday, March 28, of Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, during his visit to the Danish territory, strategically located and rich in resources, which is coveted by President Donald Trump.
Vance’s visit to the American Pituffik base, on the northwest coast of Greenland, in the company of his wife, Usha Vance; of the National Security Minister Mike Waltz; and of the Minister of Energy, Chris Wright, was considered a provocation on both the Arctic Island and in Denmark.
“Denmark has not done a good job to guarantee the security of Greenland,” JD Vance told US troops in the military base.
“They have not invested enough in the population of Greenland and in the security of this incredible and beautiful continental mass of incredible people. This has to change,” he added.
“For many years, we have accompanied Americans in very difficult situations,” the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen reacted, referring to the Danish commitment with the US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Therefore, the way in which the vice president refers to Denmark is not exact,” he said, and declared himself willing to “cooperate day and night with the Americans” in terms of security in the Arctic, in statements written to Danish media.
After his criticism of Denmark, the vice president pointed out, however, that he does not believe that “military force” will be “necessary” to achieve his goals with this territory.
“We think that the inhabitants of Greenland are rational and (…) that we are going to reach an agreement to Donald Trump to guarantee the security of that territory and also that of the United States,” he said.
Shortly before, President Trump insisted that they need Greenland and that it is “very important” for international security.
But the governments of Denmark and the island themselves have expressed their rejection of this Washington plan.
The Danish Prime Minister had accused “unacceptable pressure” of the United States after the announcement, this week, of the visit without invitation from the US delegation.
“Come visit when there is no established government is not considered a sign of respect for an ally,” said the new Prime Minister of Greenland, Jens Frederik Nielsen.
Coinciding with the visit, Nielsen, of Centrodécha, announced an agreement to form a four -party government “to face strong pressure.”
The Pituffik base is an essential part of Washington’s antimile defense infrastructure, since its location in the Arctic places it on the shortest route for missiles fired from Russia against the United States.
“Serious” project, says Putin
Known as Thule Air Base up to 2023, the base served as alert position in the face of possible attacks of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
In this context, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, estimated that Trump’s idea of controlling Greenland was a “serious” project, with “long -standing historical roots”, and expressed concern for whether the Arctic becomes “a springboard for possible conflicts.”
Pituffik is also a strategic place for the surveillance of the northern hemisphere and the defense of the immense island that, according to the US administration, the Danes have neglected.
For Marc Jacobsen, professor of the Real College of Danish Defense, Vance “is right to say that we have not fulfilled the American wishes to increase the presence, but we have taken measures to respond” to it.
In his opinion, the United States has to specify its demands if you want Denmark to respond more properly.
In January, Copenhagen announced that it was going to allocate almost 2,000 million dollars to reinforce its presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic.
The government plans to acquire three new specialized ships for polar regions and two longer -range drones for surveillance.
“It’s not for sale”
Greenland is a huge island covered by 80 % per ice that has key hydrocarbons and mineral resources for energy transition.
Of its 57,000 inhabitants, almost 90 % is Ethnicity Inuit. The territory has autonomy within Denmark, which preserves competences in monetary diplomacy, defense and policy, and provides annual aid that represents 20 % of Green of Greenland.
The United States “knows that Greenland is not for sale. He knows that Greenland does not want to be part of the United States. They have been communicated without ambiguities, both directly and in public,” Mette Frederiksen reiterated Wednesday.
The majority of their population and all political parties promote the independence of the territory, although they disagree in the speed of this process.
According to a survey published in February, practically the entire population rejects the idea of being part of the United States.