Usha Vance, wife of US Vice President J.D. Vance, will travel to Greenland this week amid President Donald Trump’s sticking to the idea of the United States annexing the strategically important semi-autonomous Danish territory.
US second lady Usha Vance will visit Greenland on Thursday as part of a US delegation to tour historic sites, learn about the territory’s heritage and take part in a national dog sled race, the White House said in a statement.
The delegation will return to the US on March 29. White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright will also travel to Greenland to visit the US military base in Greenland, a US official said.
Trump said on March 4 that he would approve of a decision by the people of Greenland to make the autonomous Danish territory part of the United States. The US leader has previously repeatedly said Greenland should join the US. He has threatened to impose high trade duties against Denmark if it does not give up the island. Even during his first presidential term, Trump offered to buy Greenland. Danish and Greenlandic authorities rejected the idea.
Greenland is part of Denmark as an autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen signed the Treaty for the Defence of Greenland in addition to their NATO allied commitments. Under it, the US undertook to defend the island against aggression. It is home to the US space base Pituffik, which fulfils the tasks of the missile warning system and control of the Arctic zone.
