Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede described second lady Usha Vance’s upcoming visit to his country as a dangerous and ‘very aggressive’ provocation during a recent interview with a national news outlet in Greenland.
The visit by the second lady, one of her sons and an accompanying U.S. delegation was announced by the White House on Thursday. Per the announcement, Vance will spend the trip visiting historical sites, learning about the country’s heritage, and attending Greenland’s national dogsled race. Trump’s national security advisor, Michael Waltz, will also visit the arctic country this week as part of the delegation traveling with the second lady, according to sources familiar with the trip.
‘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. Because what is the security advisor doing in Greenland?’ Egede questioned in an interview with Greenland news outlet Sermitsiaq. ‘The only purpose is to show a demonstration of power to us, and the signal is not to be misunderstood. [Waltz] is Trump’s confidential and closest advisor, and his presence in Greenland alone will certainly make the Americans believe in Trump’s mission, and the pressure will increase after the visit.’
Egede’s condemnation of the trip from U.S. officials follows repeated calls by President Donald Trump for the U.S. to annex Greenland. Trump has stressed the importance of Greenland for national security purposes.
‘I think it will happen,’ Trump told reporters in the Oval Office earlier this month during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Greenland is currently undergoing a political shift after Egede’s left-wing party was defeated in elections earlier this month by the center-right Demokraatit party, which is pushing for independence from Denmark – Greenland’s current governing authority.
The leader of the new party in charge has expressed disdain for Trump, calling him ‘a threat to our political independence,’ according to NPR.
During an interview with Sermitsiaq, Egede called on Greenland’s ‘allies’ to step up and do more than just ‘whispering that they support us’ against the U.S.’s threatened encroachment.
‘If they do not speak out loudly about how the USA is treating Greenland, the situation will escalate day by day, and the American aggression will increase. So, we need our other allies to clearly and distinctly come with their support and backing for us,’ he said.
Egede added during the interview that Greenland has done ‘everything’ to show that ‘through [the United States’] continued pressure they are violating us as a population and our sovereignty,’ adding that the visit from Vance and Waltz represented a dangerous and ‘very aggressive’ provocation in the ongoing saga.
In preparation for the visit by Vance and other U.S. officials, Danish police have deployed extra security forces, as is typical any time high-level diplomats visit the country, per media reports.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the second lady for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
