Trump pushes US claims to Greenland as territory's leaders lambast US delegation trip

By Andrea Shalal, Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his suggestion that the U.S. should take over Greenland as leaders from the semi-autonomous Danish territory criticized a planned trip there this week by a high-profile U.S. delegation.

"I think Greenland is going to be something that maybe is in our future," Trump told reporters after a meeting with officials in his cabinet, saying it was important for U.S. national security.

Greenland's outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede called plans by the U.S. delegation to visit an American military base and attend a dog sled race a "provocation", and said his caretaker government would not meet with the group.

Trump said his administration was working with "people in Greenland" who want something to happen, but did not elaborate.

"They're calling us," he said. "We're not calling them."

The U.S. visit, which runs from Thursday to Saturday, will be led by Usha Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance, and include White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Trump has made U.S. annexation of Greenland a major talking point since his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., paid a private visit to the vast, mineral-rich island in January.

"Until recently, we could trust the Americans, who were our allies and friends, and with whom we enjoyed working closely," Egede told local newspaper Sermitsiaq. "But that time is over."

Naalakkersuisut, the Greenlandic government, is now in a caretaker phase following a March 11 parliamentary election won by the Democrats, a pro-business party that favours a slow approach to independence from Denmark.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Democrats, called for political unity and criticized the timing of the U.S. visit during coalition talks with municipal elections due next week.

"We must not be forced into a power game that we ourselves have not chosen to be a part of," Nielsen said on Monday.

Similarly, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Monday the visit was "problematic" and showed "a lack of respect".

"These are not random tourists. And you sense it is a signal. It is a charm offensive to pull Greenland towards the United States," Lokke Rasmussen told public broadcaster DR.

"There is no appetite for this neither in Greenland nor in the Kingdom (of Denmark) and it is therefore not good timing."

Brian Hughes, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said the visit aimed to "build on partnerships that respect Greenland's self-determination and advance economic cooperation".

"This is a visit to learn about Greenland, its culture, history, and people and to attend a dogsled race the United States is proud to sponsor, plain and simple," Hughes said.

HEAVY SECURITY

Two U.S. Hercules military transport planes arrived in Greenland's capital Nuuk late on Sunday, carrying security personnel and bulletproof vehicles, Greenlandic online news outlet Sermitsiaq reported.

Around 60 police officers from Denmark also arrived in Nuuk on Sunday, state broadcaster KNR reported.

Waltz and Wright plan to visit the Pituffik space base, the U.S. military base located along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for its ballistic missile warning system.

They will then join Vance to visit historical sites and attend the national dog sled race.

Vance said in a video posted by the U.S. consulate in Greenland that her visit was meant to "celebrate the long history of mutual respect and cooperation between our nations".

Trump, who first floated the idea of buying Greenland in 2019, has renewed his calls for the U.S. to take over the island since his return to the White House in January, and he has not ruled out using force to achieve this objective.

Greenland is rich in raw materials, including minerals critical to advance new technologies.

The governments of both Greenland and Denmark have voiced opposition to any U.S. takeover.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a written comment reacting to news of the U.S. delegation's visit that "this is something we take seriously".

She said Denmark wanted cooperation with the U.S., a NATO ally, but on the basis of "the fundamental rules of sovereignty", adding that Copenhagen and Greenland's future government would both be involved in any talks with the U.S. regarding the island.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Steve Holland and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; additional reporting by Stine Jacobsen and Gwladys Fouch; editing by Gareth Jones, Sharon Singleton, Mark Heinrich and Alistair Bell)