Washington: Russia and China are already showing interest in Arctic passages

US Vice President J.D. Vance arrived at a US military base in Greenland on Friday, along with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and National Security Advisor Mike Walz. Speaking to the military at the base, Vance said that "the US must ensure that it is a leader in the Arctic, Russia and China are already showing interest in Greenland", Sky News reported.

"Many Americans wonder why Greenland is so important and why the mission of the US base there is important. If a missile were to be launched at the United States from an enemy country, the people here before us would be the ones who would alert the brave men and women down south in the United States to what was coming,” Vance said.

He added that Russia and China are interested in Arctic passages.

“We need to ensure that America is the leader in the Arctic,” he added.

As previously noted, while the Trump administration has repeatedly cited U.S. security concerns as a driving force behind its efforts to seize control of Greenland, analysts suggest that its real motivation is the territory’s vast mineral wealth.

In response to a question from reporters, Vance did not rule out the possibility of using military force to seize Greenland.

Vance was asked about Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. could use military force to to take control of Greenland if necessary.

"The president has made it clear that he does not believe that military force will be necessary, but he absolutely believes that Greenland is an important part of the security of not only the United States but the world and, of course, the people of Greenland as well," he said.

When asked if plans had been made to use military force to take over Greenland, he said the White House had planned to wait until the territory's population voted for self-determination before acting.

"Well, what the president said was that we need to have more of a foothold in Greenland," he said.

"We need it, again for the security of the American people, and what we think will happen is that the Greenlanders will choose to self-determine themselves from Denmark, and then we will have a conversations with the people of Greenland from there".

"So I think it's premature to talk about anything too far in the future. We don't think we'll ever have to use military force".

The Chinese are "very interested" in Greenland

Asked if the US plans to expand its military presence in Greenland, J.D. Vance said there are no immediate plans.

But there are common goals that will require the US to invest more resources in Greenland.

"This is necessary because we are seeing the expansion of Russian and Chinese influence on security", he said.

"They are doing what is in their interest. The US should do what is in our interest, which is to make sure that Greenland is safe.

He emphasizes that "the US cannot bury its head in the sand and pretend that the Chinese are not interested in this very large territory".