The US Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance are visiting Greenland at the end of the week. The visit, which is not official, takes place against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's repeated statements about the country wanting to take over the autonomous Danish territory.
The original plan was for Usha Vance to visit historical sites, learn about Greenland's cultural heritage, and attend Greenland's national dog sled race. But on Tuesday evening, in connection with the Vice President announcing that he would also be traveling to Greenland, the plans were changed.
Canceled activities
Now, the American group will instead visit the military base Pituffik space base, previously known as Thule base, on Greenland's northwestern coast. The previously planned activities have thus been canceled, according to information from the newspaper Sermitsiag.
I think it's a relief for many that they choose not to go to Nuuk during coalition negotiations and that they don't go to Sisimiut for such an important race, says editor-in-chief Masaana Egede to his own publication.
Egede believes that the changed travel plans are "good for the USA" if the Americans want future cooperation, but emphasizes that it doesn't mean that the USA's interest in Greenland has decreased.
"Unacceptable pressure"
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen is positive about the changed travel plans and that they will no longer visit the community, he says to DR according to Ritzau.
Instead, they will visit their own base, Pituffik, and we have no problem with that, he says.
The formation of a new government is underway in the Greenlandic capital Nuuk after the parliamentary election on March 11.
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in an interview with TV2 earlier on Tuesday that she views the situation seriously and emphasized that one "cannot make a private visit with official representatives of another country".
This puts unacceptable pressure on both Denmark and Greenland in this situation, said Frederiksen.
