Denmark Issues Warning to JD Vance: ‘We Don’t Appreciate the Tone’

U.S. Vice President JD Vance has received a stern rebuke from Copenhagen about his criticism of Denmark’s treatment of Greenland.

Why It Matters

The Danish Foreign Minster Lars Løkke Rasmussen laid down the gauntlet by expressing Copenhagen’s unhappiness with White House rhetoric about Greenland, signaling a spat between NATO allies which could have wider diplomatic dimensions.

What To Know

Rasmussen called for an end to Washington’s hostile rhetoric about the semi-autonomous island which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark

During a visit to a U.S. military facility, Vance said Denmark had underinvested in the territory.

Rasmussen said “we do not appreciate the tone” of such remarks which follow President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the U.S. to acquire the resource-rich island.

Newsweek has contacted the White House via email for comment.

During Friday’s visit, which was scaled down in the face of protests, Vance accused Denmark of leaving the island vulnerable to the perceived threat posed by Russia and China.

Speaking at Pituffik Space Base, Vance urged Greenlanders to cut their ties with Copenhagen because it was not doing enough to invest in the security infrastructure of the island.

Greenland governs its own domestic affairs, but Copenhagen decides on foreign and defense policy. Five of the six main parties who participated in March’s election back independence, but disagree on how to reach it.

A poll in January found that 85 percent of Greenlanders oppose U.S. annexation and the island’s prime minister has said the Vance visit showed a “lack of respect”.

In a three-minute video address, Rasmussen urged an end to Washington’s hostile messaging, saying Copenhagen was open to criticism, but did not appreciate the tone in which it was being delivered and that it was not how allies communicated.

While there were 17 American military installations in Greenland in 1945, this had dwindled to the one Vance visited. Rasmussen said Denmark was open to discussing a greater U.S. military presence.

In his address, Rasmussen referred to a multi-billion dollar increase in funding from Copenhagen for security in Greenland.

James Rogers, executive director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute, told Newsweek the spike in security spending and anger at Vance’s visit weaken the case for the U.S. to annex Greenland.

With little interest among Americans for acquiring the territory, Rogers said the Trump administration would be unwise to continue its talk about increasing the U.S. military presence without agreement with allies.

What People Are Saying

U.S. Vice President JD Vance: “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland, you have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful land mass, filled with incredible people.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen: “We are open to criticism(…)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.”

James Rogers, executive director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute: “There is a very real security threat in the Arctic, but with billions of dollars in defense investment earmarked by Denmark in the defense of Greenland, the pivot of NATO toward the Arctic, and large public protests against Vance’s visit, the U.S. case for annexing Greenland is getting weaker by the day.”

What happens next

Back in Washington, Trump reiterated his view that the U.S. needed control of Greenland for security reasons, but Denmark’s comments point to a continued clash on the matter among the NATO allies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said from the Arctic port of Murmansk that he was watching the situation very closely.