Vance scolds Denmark during Greenland trip

US Vice-President JD Vance has accused Denmark of leaving Greenland vulnerable to alleged incursions by China and Russia, as he urged its people to “partner” with the US.

Speaking during a visit to the Arctic island, Vance said he hoped Greenlanders would vote for independence from Denmark, which he said had not invested enough to protect the semi-autonomous territory.

Vance’s claims that its ally Denmark had “not done a good job” in protecting Greenland come after repeated US threats to take over the island.

An overwhelming majority of Greenlander oppose the idea of annexation, a poll indicated in January. Greenland’s prime minister has said the US visit showed a “lack of respect”.

And Denmark’s King Frederik also rejected the US plan.

“We live in an altered reality,” said the monarch on social media on Friday. 

“There should be no doubt that my love for Greenland and my connectedness to the people of Greenland are intact.”

On Friday’s visit to Pituffik Space Base, a missile defence facility in the remote north of the island, Vance told a news conference that Russia, China and other nations were taking an “extraordinary interest” in routes and minerals in the region.

The island of 57,000 people is believed to hold massive untapped mineral and oil reserves.

The vice-president said the US did not have immediate plans to expand the American military presence on the ground, but would invest more resources, including naval ships and military icebreakers.

“Our message to Denmark is very simple,” Vance said.

“You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have under-invested in the people of Greenland and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass.”

He also said Denmark had failed to “keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of very aggressive incursions from Russia, from China, and other nations”, without providing further details.

The vice-president said the people of Greenland would have “self-determination” and the US would respect its sovereignty.

“We hope that they choose to partner with the United States, because we’re the only nation on Earth that will respect their sovereignty and respect their security, because their security is very much our security,” he said.

Vance was joined by his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, US national security adviser Mike Waltz, and energy secretary Chris Wright.

The outside temperature at Pituffik was -3F (-19 C).

The US second lady had originally been due to travel to Greenland just with her son to attend a dogsled race in the town of Sisimiut.

But after several protests were scheduled, the visit to Sisimiut was cancelled and replaced with just the stop at the military base.

Back at the White House, President Donald Trump insisted the US needed Greenland to guarantee “peace of the entire world” and that its waterways had “Chinese and Russian ships all over the place”.

“We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security,” he said.

“We have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of: ‘Do you think we can do without it?’ We can’t.”

He said Denmark and the European Union understood the situation “and if they don’t, we’re going to have to explain it to them”.

In a statement to the BBC, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen took issue with Vance’s comments.

“For many years we have stood side by side with the Americans in very difficult situations,” she said. “Therefore, it is not an accurate way for the vice-president to refer to Denmark.”

She said Denmark had significantly increased defence spending, but would further boost its investment with more surveillance, new Arctic ships, long-range drones and satellite capacity.

“We are ready – day and night – to co-operate with the Americans,” she said. “A cooperation that must be based on the necessary international rules of the game.”

Greenland’s new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said prior to Vance’s visit that it showed “a lack of respect for the Greenlandic people”.

In Greenland’s capital of Nuuk, some people the BBC spoke to were not won over by the US overtures.

At a cultural centre in the city, artist Karline Poulsen said: “There are many ways to say things. But I think the way President Trump is saying it is not the way.”

A woman who gave her name only as Nina said: “I’m concerned [about the visit]. This is kind of odd, I don’t like it.”

Her daughter, Anita, said the visit has caused “a lot of uncertainty and a lot of people are worried”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he considered Trump’s plans for Greenland “serious”.

He expressed concern that “Nato countries, in general, are increasingly designating the Far North as a springboard for possible conflicts”.