Washington, D.C. – The wife of US Vice President JD Vance is currently traveling to Greenland and her husband is expected to join her this week. The visit has been met with concern by the island’s residents and the Danish government, who view it as another provocation by the US government.
At the 6th International Arctic Forum in Murmansk, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that past US administrations, including the Trump administration, have long had plans to gain control of Greenland. He urged that the ongoing tensions over the world’s largest island should be taken seriously.
Putin’s speech at the forum touched on the ongoing tensions over Greenland’s semi-autonomous status and the repeated expressions of interest and plans by the current US President to annex the island. Trump recently reiterated his interest in the island, stating that the US needs to own it to “defend a large part of this earth properly” and that it would be beneficial for Denmark as well.
Trump’s comments have been met with concern, as the US has a long history of planning to annex Greenland, dating back to the 1860s. Putin reminded the audience that the US has been planning to take control of the island for over a century and a half and that it is not a new idea.
The US, Germany and Denmark were close to signing a land swap agreement in 1910, which would have led to the transfer of Greenland to the US, but the agreement ultimately failed to materialize.
Greenland has a complex history, with the US occupying the island during World War II after Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany. Today, the US has a military base and infrastructure for a ballistic missile early warning system on the island.
In recent decades, Greenland has gained more autonomy, with self-government granted in 1979 and the right to hold a referendum on independence granted in 2009.