United States Vice-President, JD Vance, has said Greenland is vital to the defence of the US and global security, accusing Europe and Denmark of failing to properly secure the Arctic territory, as Washington confirmed it is actively discussing a potential offer to buy the island.
Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, Vance said Greenland plays a central role in missile defence against possible Russian or Chinese attacks and argued that European allies and Denmark had under-invested in its security and ignored President Donald Trump’s concerns.
US officials are “actively” discussing a possible offer to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, the White House said on Wednesday.
The comments came a day after suggestions that military action to annex the island was also being considered.
Denmark, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally, has warned that any attempt to take Greenland by force would effectively end the alliance. Both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly stated that the territory is not for sale.
Despite being the world’s most sparsely populated territory, Greenland’s position between North America and the Arctic makes it strategically important for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks and for monitoring maritime activity in the region.
The US already has more than 100 military personnel stationed at its Pituffik base in north-west Greenland, a facility it has operated since World War Two. Existing agreements with Denmark allow the US to deploy additional troops if it chooses.
“People do not realise that the entire missile defence infrastructure is partially dependent on Greenland,” Vance said in his interview on Wednesday.
“If God forbid the Russians and the Chinese – not saying they’re going to – but if, God forbid, somebody launched a nuclear missile into our continent, they launched a nuclear missile at Europe, Greenland is a critical part of that missile defence.
“So you ask yourself, ‘have the Europeans, have the Danes done a proper job of securing Greenland and of making sure it can continue to serve as an anchor for world security and missile defence?’ And the answer is obviously they haven’t,” he said.
Concerns about Greenland’s future resurfaced following President Trump’s use of military force against Venezuela on Saturday to ‘capture’ President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump had previously offered to buy Greenland in 2019 during his first term, an idea that was firmly rejected by Denmark.
According to the BBC, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that he would hold talks with Denmark next week. A day earlier, European leaders issued a joint statement backing Denmark and rejecting any suggestion of annexation.
“Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations,” leaders from France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said.
While stressing their shared interest with the US in Arctic security, they said this should be achieved by NATO allies “collectively”.
The statement also called for “upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”.
Aaja Chemnitz, one of two Greenlandic representatives in the Danish parliament, described recent remarks from the Trump administration as dangerous.
“It’s completely disrespectful from the US side to not rule out annexing our country and to annex another NATO ally,” she told the BBC.
Chemnitz said she believed annexation was unlikely but warned that pressure could still follow.
“What we are going to see is that they will put pressure on us in order to make sure that they will take over Greenland over time,” she said.
In recent years, Greenland has also drawn growing international attention for its natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium and iron, which are becoming more accessible as ice melts.
Scientists believe the island may also hold significant oil and gas reserves.
(BBC)
____
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2026 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.