Vance And Wife Usha Scale Back Greenland Schedule After Diplomatic Tension

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Vice President JD Vance has scaled back his planned visit to Greenland, now limited to a brief stop at the U.S. Pituffik Space Base amid tensions stirred by renewed remarks from former President Donald Trump regarding American interest in the island.

Initially, Usha Vance, the vice president’s wife, along with one of their children was set to spend several days in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, participating in cultural events, including a major dogsled race. However, on March 25, the White House announced that JD Vance would join her, with the visit now restricted to a single day at the military base on Greenland’s northwestern coast.

In a social media post, Vance defended the trip, stating he was accompanying his wife to ensure she didn’t “have all that fun by herself.”

In keeping with the status of his office, he also cited security concerns, emphasizing that adversaries have “threatened to use Greenland’s territories and waterways to jeopardize the United States, Canada, and Greenland itself.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen welcomed the change, calling it a “very positive” step to de-escalate tensions.

Greenland’s acting head of government, Mute Egede, had previously criticized the original itinerary as a “provocation,” reinforcing Greenland’s autonomy with a post that read, “We Greenlanders will never be Americans… Enough is enough.”

While Greenland, the world’s largest island, is under Danish control, it manages its domestic affairs. The U.S. has maintained a military presence there since World War II, with the Pituffik Space Base playing a key role in missile defense and space surveillance.

Polls show that while most Greenlanders favor independence from Denmark, an overwhelming majority oppose becoming part of the U.S.