Egypt Daily News – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday: “We must acquire Greenland,” following Washington’s decision, which was welcomed by Denmark, to adjust the program of an American delegation’s visit to the Danish autonomous island.
Trump stated before a controversial visit by Vice President Jay D. Vance to the Danish island: “I hate to put it this way, but we’re going to need to get it.” These comments could anger the governments of Greenland and Denmark, which sharply criticized the high-level American delegation’s visit, especially with the announcement of Jay D. Vance’s wife arriving for a dog sled race, or the presence of security personnel with armored vehicles in Nuuk, or even the potential visit of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
It seems their efforts were successful with the announcement that Jay D. Vance would only visit the Thule Air Base. The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the change in the U.S. stance and clarified that no other sites in Greenland would be visited.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told the “DR” public channel: “I think the Americans canceling their visit to the Greenland community is very positive. They will only visit their own base in Thule, and we have no objection to that.”
Rasmussen added: “The American security unit cars that were delivered a few days ago are being returned, and the wife of the U.S. Vice President and the National Security Advisor will not visit the Greenlandic community.” He further said, “This is coming to an end, and this is positive.”
He continued, “As a foreign minister, I must speak in diplomatic terms. In many ways, this is manipulation to make it seem like an escalation, when in reality, it’s a de-escalation.” The outgoing Prime Minister of Greenland, Kim Kielsen, condemned “foreign interference” on Monday, and the interim government denied issuing an official invitation or organizing an official meeting in the absence of a new executive authority.
This comes amid political fluctuations in Greenland, where political parties are still negotiating the formation of a new coalition government following the March 11 elections.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized the “unacceptable pressures” on Greenland and Denmark and promised to counter them. Arctic Security
Jay D. Vance will visit the U.S. Army Space Branch base on Friday “to address Arctic security issues” and inspect the troops, his office announced on Tuesday.
The Thule Air Base “is used for missile launch detection, missile defense tasks, and space monitoring,” according to the U.S. Vice President. Donald Trump justifies his interest in Greenland as a need to strengthen “global security.”
Mark Jacobsen, a lecturer at the Royal Danish Defense College, joined the minister’s views, stating that the decision to adjust Jay D. Vance’s visit helps “de-escalate the crisis.” He said, “The announcement by the Greenlandic and Danish authorities that your arrival is unwelcome is important.”
He added, “The risks of negative media coverage and social media pressure may have weighed in,” reminding that a demonstration was to be held in Sisimiut after the first anti-U.S. demonstration in the capital Nuuk on March 15.
He believed that the only country threatening Greenland is the United States. He added, “China and Russia have no interest in attacking Greenland” and have “no activities” there currently.
Since December, when Donald Trump announced his intention to acquire the island in the Arctic, the political class in Greenland has emphasized that it is not for sale, but rather “open for business.”
In a survey conducted at the end of January, a vast majority of Greenland’s residents opposed the idea of it being annexed by the U.S.
