Vice President JD Vance heads to Greenland despite no invitation, citing global security concerns

Vice President JD Vance is set to land in Greenland on Friday, joining his wife on a controversial visit that has already ruffled diplomatic feathers. In a video posted online, Vance justified the trip by claiming that securing Greenland was crucial to protecting global stability.

“We’re going to check out how things are going there,” he stated on Tuesday. “Speaking for President Trump, we want to reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland because we think it’s important to protecting the security of the entire world.”

His comments have reignited tensions over the U.S.’s strategic ambitions in the Arctic, a region that has long been eyed by global powers, including China and Russia. Greenland, a mineral-rich, self-governing territory under Denmark, has become a geopolitical hotspot, with the U.S. maintaining a military presence on the island while Denmark retains sovereignty.

This visit comes against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s infamous 2019 proposal to purchase Greenland—an idea dismissed as absurd by Danish officials but one that underscored America’s growing interest in the territory. Now, with Trump back in the White House and Vance serving as his right-hand man, the administration appears to be reviving its Arctic ambitions.

However, the Greenlandic and Danish governments have made it clear that Vance’s presence is neither expected nor particularly welcome. On Monday night, Greenland’s government posted a blunt message on Facebook, stating that no invitations had been extended—“neither private nor official.”

While Vance’s visit to a U.S. military base in Greenland sidesteps the potential breach of diplomatic protocol, his broader stance on Europe has already raised eyebrows. The vice president has frequently criticised NATO allies for depending too much on U.S. military support, a position that has only deepened concerns about America’s reliability among its traditional partners.

Vance’s decision to press ahead with the visit, despite the diplomatic cold shoulder from Greenland and Denmark, underscores the Trump administration’s unapologetic approach to foreign policy. As Arctic tensions rise, the question remains: Is this just a routine security check, or the first step in a renewed U.S. push for control over one of the world’s most strategic territories?