US Vice President JD Vance went hard for Denmark in connection with his lightning visit to Greenland.
His message was that the Copenhagen government has failed to maintain the security of the Arctic region.
Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, security expert and political scientist at the University of Copenhagen, notes that there is some truth in the statement.
– Denmark has discussed how to increase its military presence and surveillance in the area around Greenland for over ten years, without any special results.
At the same time, JD Vance failed to mention that Denmark recently pushed through a billion proposal to renovate its military in Greenland.
Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has struck back against the speech and claimed that the criticism is unfair.
More cautious rhetoric
But despite the harsh words, JD Vance’s play may indicate that the United States is trying to step down the Greenland conflict. In any case, it considers Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen.
-I interpret this-and I say this with some caution-as a de-stalle from the Trump administration.
US President Donald Trump has previously expressed a number of reasons for the United States “having to” take control of Greenland, including the mineral supply and the security strategic significance.
JD Vance only mentioned the security aspect.
He also toned down the time perspective. According to JD Vance, the goal is for the United States to conclude an agreement with Greenland when – or if – the island becomes independent.
Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen interprets the more cautious rhetoric as being influenced by the storm of criticism against the unofficial visit to Greenland.
– When they were faced with that reality, they had to regroup and do something else. That’s how I interpret this visit. That the United States has the same position, but changed the approach to how to achieve that goal.
Danish political scientist Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen
Danish political scientist Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen
Photo: Copenhagen University
Trump can swing quickly
He flags at the same time because it can change quickly.
-It is a possibility that Trump will write something else on social media that changes the situation, but as it seems now, it is a de-stalle from American.
According to Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, “neither the tone nor the intensity” that the Trump administration has taken on the debate on the security issue around Greenland has been constructive to actually solve the problem.
– If we reach a point where it is possible to have a balanced discussion about how to prioritize the Allied commitments for the safety of the region, then it would probably be appreciated by both Greenland and Denmark.