Vance lands in Greenland, says US to expand focus on Arctic security for 'decades'

NUUK, Greenland (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on arrival in Greenland on Friday that U.S. interest in Arctic security would grow for decades, suggesting no let-up in President Donald Trump's push for American control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

The visit to the U.S. military base at Pituffik in the north of the Arctic island comes just hours after a new broad government coalition, which aims to keep ties with Denmark for now, was presented in the capital Nuuk.

Vance greeted members of the U.S. armed forces shortly after his arrival, thanking them for their service on the remote base located 750 miles (1,200 km) north of the Arctic Circle.

"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.

"It's cold as shit here. Nobody told me," Vance said, prompting laughs, adding it was his first visit to the island. The outside temperature at Pituffik was minus 3 degrees Fahrenheit (-19 C).

Greenland's new prime minister said the U.S. visit signalled a "lack of respect" and called for unity in the face of "pressure from outside".

Denmark's king issued a statement of support on social media. "We live in an altered reality. There should be no doubt that my love for Greenland and my connectedness to the people of Greenland are intact," King Frederik said.

The U.S. delegation also includes Vance's wife Usha, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

The initial plan for the trip had been for Vance's wife to visit a dog-sled race on the island together with Waltz, even though they were not invited by authorities in either Greenland or Denmark.

Public protests and outrage from authorities in both Greenland and Denmark prompted the U.S. delegation to only fly to the military base and not meet the public.

Under the terms of a 1951 agreement, the U.S. is entitled to visit its base whenever it wants, as long as it notifies Greenland and Copenhagen. Pituffik is located along the shortest route from Europe to North America and is vital for the U.S. ballistic missile warning system.

Trump reiterated his desire to take over Greenland as recently as Wednesday, saying the U.S. needs the strategically located island for national and international security.

"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," he said.

The island, whose capital is closer to New York than the Danish capital Copenhagen, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth, but development has been slow and the mining sector has seen very limited U.S. investment. Mining companies operating in Greenland are mostly Australian, Canadian or British.

A White House official has said Greenland has an ample supply of rare earth minerals that would power the next generation of the U.S. economy.

NEW GOVERNMENT

Greenland's new Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Friday urged political unity.

"At a time when we as a people are under pressure, we must stand together," Nielsen said at a press conference.

His pro-business party, the Democrats, which favours a gradual independence from Denmark, emerged as the biggest party in a March 11 election.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who had called the initial plans for the U.S. visit "unacceptable", congratulated Greenland on its new government in a post on Instagram: "I look forward to close cooperation in an unnecessarily conflict-ridden time."

The question now is how far Trump is willing to push his idea of taking over the island, said Andreas Oesthagen, a senior researcher on Arctic politics and security at the Oslo-based Fridtjof Nansen Institute. 

"It is still unlikely that the United States will use military means," he told Reuters. 

"But it is unfortunately likely that President Trump and Vice President Vance will continue to use other means of pressure, such as ambiguous statements, semi-official visits to Greenland, and economic instruments," he added.

'NOT FOR SALE'

By revising the trip, the Trump administration is seeking to refocus the discussion on the topics it is interested in: the U.S. presence on Greenland, military capabilities available, and the wider security of the Arctic, said Catherine Sendak, head of the Transatlantic Defense and Security programme at the Center for European Policy Analysis, a Washington-based think tank.

"A change of course was needed," Sendak told Reuters.

However, some residents in Nuuk remained angry at the Trump administration ahead of Vance's visit.

"I am a human. Humans are not for sale. We are not for sale," Tungutaq Larsen, a filmmaker, told Reuters.

Polls have shown that nearly all Greenlanders oppose becoming part of the United States. Anti-American protesters, some wearing "Make America Go Away" caps and holding "Yankees Go Home" banners, have staged some of the largest demonstrations ever seen in Greenland.

On Thursday, residents in Nuuk planted Greenlandic flags in the snow and a cardboard sign in English that said "Our Land. Our Future".