By New York Post (Politics) | Created at 2025-03-29 16:51:01 | Updated at 2025-04-01 02:53:26
2 days ago
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen scolded the Trump administration’s “tone” Saturday after Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland to flame Denmark for failing to protect and support Greenland’s population.
“We are open to criticism, but let me be completely honest — we do not appreciate the tone in which its is being delivered,” Rasmussen said in a video message in English on X.
“This is not how you speak to your close allies,” he said.
Vance flew to Greenland in a whirlwind trip Friday to visit the American Space Force base in Pituffik, north of the Arctic circle.
There, the VP doubled down on President Trump’s message on the possibility to acquiring the country as US territory — and lambasted Denmark for not providing its territory enough security.
“Our argument is very simple. It is not with the people of Greenland, who I think are incredible and have an incredible opportunity here. Our argument really is with the leadership of Denmark, which has under-invested in Greenland and under-invested in its security architecture,” Vance said in a speech on the world’s largest island.
Rasmussen responded Denmark respects that the US wants a “greater military presence in Greenland,” offering to have conversations about possibly putting more US soldiers on the ground on the island.
He cited the 1951 US-Denmark agreement that allows the US to build more military bases in Greenland, and noted that both countries are part of NATO, so share security responsibilities on the island already.
The Pituffik Space Force Base is the last remaining US military base on the island, housing about 150 soldiers who are in charge of missile defense systems and space research.
The foreign minister also agreed that the time of seeing the Arctic as a “low tension area” is “over” and that both countries have room to provide more security in the wake of Russian and Chinese influence.
Trump and Vance have stressed Greenland needs to join the US for national security reasons as enemy countries become more interested in having a presence in the Arctic.
“When the president says ‘We’ve got to have Greenland’, he’s saying this island is not safe,” Vance responded to a question from The Post in Pituffik.
“A lot of people are interested in it, a lot of people are making a play. We hope that they [Greenlanders] choose to partner with the United States because we’re the only nation on earth that will respect their sovereignty and respect their security, because their security is very much our security,” Vance went on.
Other Danish officials took issue with Vance’s trip and rhetoric.
Danish Social Liberal Party leader Martin Lidegaard said the visit was “wrong” and that the vice president made “many disrespectful and incorrect statements,” per the newspaper Berlingske.
“Denmark is a good and strong ally,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote on Facebook.
“For everyone in the NATO alliance. We are in relation to the threat from Russia. And we have increased defense spending significantly. For many years, we have stood side by side with the Americans in very difficult situations. Therefore, it is not a fair way for the vice president to refer to Denmark.”
But, Frederiksen also agreed “that security in the Arctic must be given higher priority.”
“We are ready — day and night — to cooperate with the Americans,” she wrote.
Vance’s spokesperson did not respond to an inquiry from The Post.
