A delegation from the United States, including Second Lady Usha Vance, is set to visit Greenland on Thursday. The visit has been met with criticism from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who claims the trip is not about what Greenland needs or wants.
The US delegation, which also includes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, will participate in a large dog sledding event during their visit. According to the White House, the purpose of the trip is to “get to know Greenland, its culture, history and people”.
However, the Greenlandic government has denied receiving any invitations for the visit, either privately or officially. The government’s Facebook post stated that “Naalakkersuisut, the Government of Greenland, has not issued any invitations for visits, neither private nor official”.
The acting Prime Minister of Greenland, Múte B. Egede, said in a statement that the visit would show a lack of respect.
Frederiksen also pointed out that the Greenlandic authorities had clearly stated that they did not want any visits at the moment, as they did not have a government following the recent parliamentary elections in the beginning of the month.
This is the strongest criticism from the Danish government towards the White House since US President Donald Trump expressed his claims of ownership over Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, due to its rich mineral and resource deposits and its geostrategic location in the Arctic.
“This cannot be seen independently of the statements and messages we have received from the US since January until today” emphasized Frederiksen.
Pipaluk Lynge, a member of the Greenlandic Parliament and chair of the foreign and security policy committee, told Politico that Trump’s claim that Greenland had invited the delegation was “not true”. She added that a protest was planned in the city of Sisimiut due to the arrival of the US delegation, stating, “We will protest politically as the people of Greenland”.