Danish minister issues warning as he slams JD Vance’s ‘tone’ following Greenland visit
Topics: News, US News, World News
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@larsloekke
Topics: News, US News, World News
Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly expressed how important it is for the nation to become a part of the US, but a Danish minister has hit back about their recent comments
While in the US, Donald Trump has repeatedly told reporters the US needs to acquire Greenland while Vice President JD Vance has taken an uninvited trip to the nation.
On Friday (March 28) Vance visited the Pituffik Space Base, the northernmost US military installation in Greenland and made a speech hoping to convince people why it was in Greenland’s best interests to become a part of the US.
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However, in doing so he took shots at Denmark, as Greenland is part of the country’s kingdom.
Vance said that Greenland simply wasn’t safe under their control and said Trump cares about the safety of the people of Greenland, as well as the citizens of the US.
He concluded by saying: “We hope that they choose to partner with the United States because we are the only nation on Earth that will respect their sovereignty and their security because their security is very much our security.”
Well, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen took issue with these comments and released a video on social media offering a different outlook.
Rasmussen said: “I have a message for our American friends and all others who are listening.
“Much is being said these days, many accusations and many allegations have been made and of course we are open to criticism.
“But let me be completely honest, we do not appreciate the tone in which it’s being delivered.
“This is not how you speak to your close allies, and I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies.”
Rasmussen admitted that he is well aware of the US’ desire for a greater military presence in Greenland and they are keeping an open mind in discussing this.
He added: “We still have the defense agreement from 1951, it offers ample opportunity for the United States to have a much stronger military presence in Greenland. If that is what you wish, let us discuss it.”
Rasmussen noted that in the past, the US had significantly more bases and soldiers stationed in Greenland and insisted it was possible to return to a situation like this again.
He also addressed Vance’s comments that Denmark had been neglecting the Arctic, while also addressing the fact that Vance had previously admitted that the US had also been doing the same.
Rasmussen said: "We all acted on the assumption that the Arctic was and should be a low tension area. But that time is over. Status quo is not an option."
The foreign minister then outlined how the nation is beginning to do more investing into Arctic security, including more drones, ships and personnel with more to come.