Vice President JD Vance arrived in Greenland on Friday, emphasizing that American interest in Arctic security is set to increase for decades.
Shortly after landing, Vance visited the U.S. military base at Pituffik, located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where he greeted U.S. armed forces personnel and expressed gratitude for their service. “The president is really interested in Arctic security, as you all know, and it’s only going to get bigger over the coming decades,” Vance said.
Noting the harsh conditions, he joked, “It’s cold as shit here. Nobody told me,” drawing laughs from those present. It marked Vance’s first visit to the island, where the temperature was minus 3 degrees Fahrenheit, and the first Vice President in history to visit the Danish territory.
The visit came just hours after Greenland’s new government coalition, which intends to maintain ties with Denmark for now, was announced in the capital Nuuk. The U.S. delegation accompanying Vance included his wife Usha, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
President Trump reiterated his stance on Greenland on Wednesday, emphasizing the island’s strategic importance. “So, I think we’ll go as far as we have to go. We need Greenland and the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark,” Trump said. He cited the island’s critical role in national and international security.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that President Trump’s efforts to gain control over Greenland align with a long history of U.S. interest in the mineral-rich territory. Speaking at a policy forum in the Arctic port of Murmansk, Putin pointed out that the United States had contemplated acquiring Greenland as far back as the 19th century and even made an offer to purchase it from Denmark after World War II.
He stated that the United States’ interest in the arctic territory had nothing to do with Russia.
“It can look surprising only at first glance and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current U.S. administration,” Putin said. “It’s obvious that the United States will continue to systematically advance its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic.”
