Second Lady Usha Vance to Visit Greenland

Usha Vance said her visit will demonstrate efforts to celebrate ‘the long history of mutual respect and cooperation’ between the United States and Greenland.

Second lady Usha Vance will travel to Greenland with her son and a U.S. delegation later this week, amid President Donald Trump’s expressed interest in acquiring the autonomous territory of Denmark.

While in Greenland, Vance and the delegation will visit “historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage, and attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race,” her office said.

They will depart on Thursday and return on Saturday. Her office stated that Vance and the delegation “are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity.”

In a video announcing her trip, Vance said that her visit will celebrate “the long history of mutual respect and cooperation” between the United States and Greenland, while expressing hope that their ties will “grow stronger in the coming years.”

Vance also said the United States is proud to sponsor Greenland’s national dogsled race, an annual event where 37 mushers, each with a team of 12 dogs, compete in a race across towns and routes in northern Greenland.

Her visit comes after President Donald Trump suggested that the United States should take control of the semi-autonomous territory of Denmark as a way to strengthen national and international security.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede has questioned the motive behind Vance’s visit.

“We are now at a level where it can in no way be characterized as a harmless visit from a politician’s wife, which is a prospect,” Egede told the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq on Sunday.

Egede specifically voiced concerns about National Security Adviser Mike Waltz possibly joining the delegation to Greenland, saying that Waltz’s presence could solidify Trump’s takeover idea.

“What is the security advisor doing in Greenland? The only purpose is to show a demonstration of power to us, and the signal is not to be misunderstood,” the Greenlandic leader said.

The White House has not yet confirmed Waltz’s visit to Greenland and did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

Egede said that as Trump’s closest advisor, Waltz’s presence in Greenland “will certainly make the Americans believe in Trump’s mission” and “the pressure will increase after the visit.”

Greenland has its own government and parliament. Its strategic location near the Arctic makes the island vital when it comes to monitoring security in the North Pole region. It’s also home to a large U.S. Space Force base.

Denmark’s government, which controls Greenland’s foreign affairs and defense, has rejected Trump’s offer to acquire the self-governing island.

During a White House meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on March 15, Trump reiterated his stance on the U.S. acquiring Greenland.

“I think it will happen,” Trump told reporters. “We need that for international security.”

The Arctic is the shortest path for intercontinental ballistic missiles between the United States and Russia, North Korea, and China, which makes Greenland a critical outpost amid rising global power rivalries.

Denmark and the United States are bound by the 1951 Defense Agreement, which grants Washington exclusive control over some of Greenland’s defense zones and the ability to enhance U.S. surveillance of Arctic waters, central to NATO’s Arctic strategy.

During Trump’s first term in office, his administration tried to strengthen bonds with Greenland in a bid to counter communist Chinese and Russian Arctic activity.

Greenland’s pro-business, center-right opposition party Demokraatit won the general elections on March 11, securing nearly 30 percent of the vote. The ruling democratic socialist Inuit Ataqatigiit party and its coalition partner, Siumut, won a combined 36 percent of votes, while the centrist-populist Naleraq party received 24.5 percent of the vote.

All political parties in Greenland want independence from Denmark but have different proposals on how to achieve it.

The island is estimated to have more than 41,000 voters, with a total population of just below 56,000.

Naveen Athrappully, Emel Akan, and Reuters contributed to this report.