US Vice President J.D. Vance will visit Greenland on Friday, amid President Donald Trump's renewed push for Washington to take control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory, Reuters reported.
The visit, which was cut short in response to criticism from Greenland and Denmark, includes Vance visiting the US military base in Pitufik, located in the northern part of the Arctic island.
The original schedule called for Vance's wife, Usha, to attend a popular dog sledding competition, accompanied by National Security Adviser Mike Walz. However, these events were not approved by the authorities in Greenland and Denmark.
White House sources confirmed that despite the controversy and pressure placed on Walz over discussing sensitive military issues on the messaging app “Signal“, he will participate in the trip to Greenland.
According to information from public broadcaster KNR, the pro-business party, which is seen as the favorite in the upcoming elections, is expected to announce the formation of a broad coalition on Friday.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed outrage at the visit, describing it as “unacceptable“, while Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen announced the revised trip as a “positive step“, contributing to the de-escalation of tensions.
With the changed program, the Trump administration is clearly seeking to shift the focus of the discussion to strategic issues related to the US presence in Greenland, military capabilities of the United States and broader Arctic security, noted Catherine Sendak, head of the Transatlantic Defense Initiative.