Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede has accused the Donald Trump administration of being 'highly aggressive' after news broke that a delegation of senior officials from the Trump's administration would be sent to the island this week.
Usha Vance, the second lady of the U.S. and wife of Vice President JD Vance, will travel to Greenland this week along with White House national security advisor Mike Waltz. Mike Waltz will visit a U.S. military base in Greenland as part of the trip, a U.S. official said.
White House stated that Vance will “visit historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage, and attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race.”
While speaking to newspaper Sermitsiaq Greenland's PM Múte Egede said the visit by Waltz was a “provocation”. “We are now at a level where it can in no way be characterized as a harmless visit from a politician's wife” he said.
“What is the national security adviser doing in Greenland? The only purpose is to demonstrate power over us” he further added.
“He is Trump's confidential and closest advisor, and his presence in Greenland alone will certainly make the Americans believe in Trump's mission, and the pressure will increase after the visit,” Egede said.
Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a written comment reacting to news of the visit that "this is something we take seriously.” She said Denmark wants to cooperate with the U.S., but it should be cooperation based on "the fundamental rules of sovereignty."
US President Donald Trump has made U.S. annexation of Greenland a major talking point since taking office for a second time on January 20.
Greenland's location and valuable mineral resources make it a strategically important area for the U.S., sitting along the quickest route between Europe and North America, which is crucial for the U.S. ballistic missile defense system.
However, both the Greenland and Danish governments have expressed strong opposition to any efforts to increase U.S. involvement in the region.
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