Mute Egede has condemned a planned visit by Second Lady Usha Vance and key members of the Trump team
The prime minister of Greenland has hit out at the US following the announcement that Second Lady Usha Vance and senior American officials will visit the island on Thursday. The administration of US President Donald Trump is pursuing control over the autonomous Danish territory and its resources.
Mute B. Egede described the upcoming trip – reportedly involving National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright – as part of “very aggressive American pressure” aimed at “taking over our country over our heads.”
In an interview with local newspaper Sermitsiaq on Sunday, Egede criticized Western nations for inadequately opposing the US, stating, “Our allies in the international community feel like hiding in a small corner and almost whisper their support, which has no effect.”
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Demokraatit party, which recently won parliamentary elections, described the scheduling of the visit during coalition talks a gesture of disrespect.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her government viewed the trip within the context of the Trump administration’s territorial claims on Greenland, adding that Copenhagen’s cooperation with the US is conditional to “the fundamental rules of sovereignty.”
Vice President J.D. Vance’s wife will travel to Greenland with her son and a delegation of officials to explore historic sites and observe a dog race, as stated in her office’s announcement on Sunday. Participants “are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity,” it added.
Members of the Trump administration will conduct their own itinerary featuring a visit to the Pentagon’s Pituffik Space Base. Trump’s interest in Greenland stems from the island’s strategic position near the Arctic and its potential natural resources.
The US administration has questioned the sovereignty of Canada, Denmark, and Panama, asserting that American national interests necessitate controlling their territories. Specifically regarding Greenland, the vice president claimed in February that Copenhagen is “not doing its job” and “is not being a good ally” to Washington.
If American interests require taking “more territorial interest in Greenland, that is what President Trump is going to do, because he doesn’t care about what the Europeans scream at us,” he stated.
