JD Vance has told Denmark it has “not done a good job” with Greenland during a visit to the territory – as President Donald Trump repeated his call for the US to take over the island.
Vice President Vance, his wife Usha and other senior US officials arrived at an American military base in Greenland, which has been a part of Denmark for more than 600 years.
Follow latest: Key takeaways from Vance’s speech in Greenland
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Mr 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.
“We need to ensure that America is leading in the Arctic.”
Shortly before Mr Vance spoke from Greenland on Friday, Mr Trump continued his threats of taking over the territory, saying: “We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security.
“We have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of you think we can do without it – we can’t.”
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The one-day visit to the US Space Force outpost at Pituffik – located on the northwest coast of the territory – has avoided violating potential diplomatic taboos of a state sending a delegation to another country, without an invitation.
The trip had been scaled back after locals were angered that the original itinerary was made without consulting them – particularly in light of Mr Trump’s repeated claims that the US should control Greenland.
Speaking to soldiers at the US base, Mr Vance claimed Denmark – and Europe by extension – have failed to protect the region.
He said: “This place, this base, this surrounding area, is less secure than it was 30-40 years ago, as some of our allies have not kept up…
“Europe (has) not kept pace… with military spending, and Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view to keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of aggressive incursions from Russia, China, and other nations.”
Mr Vance said Mr Trump was “a president of peace”, adding: “We respect the self-determination of Greenlanders, we believe in the self-determination of the population of Greenland.”
Asked if plans have been drafted to use military force to take over Greenland, he indicated the White House planned to wait for the people of the territory to vote for self-determination before acting.
“What the president has said… is that we need to have more of a position in Greenland,” he added.
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Greenland is the world’s largest island and a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, with a population of 57,000. It is also a founding member of NATO.
Straddling the Arctic circle between the US, Russia and Europe, the island offers a unique geopolitical advantage that America has eyed for more than 150 years.
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was not surprised the US wants control of Greenland given its long-time interest in the mineral-rich territory.
“It can look surprising only at first glance and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current US administration,” Mr Putin said.
