Despite strongly negative reactions from European leaders, US Vice President JD Vance has moved ahead with his Greenland visit, upping the geopolitical stakes as US Arctic ambitions fuel tensions.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on March 25 condemned the US for placing “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland, just before Vance announced he would join his wife on an already controversial trip to the island.
Facing backlash from Greenlandic leaders and Danish officials, Vance scaled down his visit, now focusing solely on the US military base at Pituffik instead of engaging with locals.
That came after US President Donald Trump had repeatedly stated his desire for the US to gain control over the island amid European Union moves toward military self-reliance and reiteration that the territorial autonomy of Greenland must be guaranteed.
“This is the closest equivalent to stalking you will see in international diplomacy,” Danish MEP Anders Vistisen told Brussels Signal in a written statement on March 25, condemning the “sense of entitlement” he said he was “seeing from this American administration”.
Tensions between Denmark and the US have escalated since Trump revived his ambitions over Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Frederiksen has condemned the visit outright, referring to it as political pressure that “Greenland does not need or want”.
Greenland’s caretaker government, caught in coalition talks after a recent election, has also made it clear no invitation had been extended.
Yet, the White House insisted it was acting at the request of “officials” in Greenland — claims swiftly denied by the administration in the capital Nuuk, Reuters reported.
Vistisen, the chief whip for Patriots for Europe in the European Parliament, suggested the US strategy had backfired.
“I see the wheels are coming off the Vance tour to Greenland,” he said, pointing out that local opposition forced US officials to alter their plans.
“Sensing the public objection to the aggressive thrust of the visit, they have decided to only visit the American troops base on the island. There will be no engagement with the people of Greenland,” he said.
“I wonder, is JD Vance’s decision to visit Greenland just a ruse to distract public attention away from their ‘War Games on Signal’ fiasco?,” wrote Vistisen, apparently intimating that the timing was no coincidence
The “War Games on Signal” scandal erupted on March 25 after US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz mistakenly added The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief to a private chat discussing US military operations in Yemen.
The leak triggered calls for a US justice department look into whether officials had mishandled sensitive information. Trump downplayed the incident but admitted Waltz had “learned a lesson” and implied his administration would rethink its use of Signal.
Beyond this possible damage control, the US has clear strategic reasons for its Greenland push.
The Arctic’s growing importance — militarily and economically — makes Greenland a key prize. Pituffik Space Base is critical for missile defence and the island’s rare earth minerals are increasingly vital to global supply chains.
With Russia increasing its Arctic military presence and China seeking influence in the region, Washington saw Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark, as a strategic necessity “for national security and international security”, as reported by the BBC on March 24.
Europe, meanwhile, is charting its own course. The European Commission has unveiled a White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 on March 19, designed to expand Europe’s military-industrial base, accelerate joint procurement and reduce reliance on US military capabilities.
With Denmark being committed to raising its defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP — an unprecedented move for the traditionally cautious Nordic nation, this shift has started to take shape.
Speaking to journalists on March 25, European Council President António Costa reaffirmed that “the territorial autonomy of Greenland must be guaranteed,” emphasising that the EU fully supported Denmark in resisting US pressure, echoing ongoing similar statements from the EC.
The discussions about strategic independence were not just about military spending; they reflected deeper geopolitical recalibrations.
As the US has pivoted toward the Indo-Pacific region and Trump openly questioned the US’ NATO commitments, European leaders have become acutely aware of the changing dynamics.
“The security architecture we used to rely on can no longer be taken for granted,” stated EC President Ursula von der Leyen in Copenhagen on March 17.
