Vance, citing threats from Russia and China, urges Greenland to ‘cut a deal’ with the U.S.

Vice President JD Vance on Friday did not rule out using military action to bring Greenland under U.S. control, but said it wouldn’t be necessary if Greenlanders choose to break from Denmark and cut a deal” with the United States.

Speaking from the “U.S.’s Pituffik Space Base on Greenland’s northeastern coast, the vice president’s comments moderated increasingly aggressive rhetoric from President Donald Trump this week that he would “go as far as we have to go” for the world’s biggest island. Still, Vance framed expansion into Greenland as a top U.S. security priority, blasting Denmark for failing Greenland’s people.

“We respect the self determination of the people of Greenland,” Vance said. “My argument … to them is I think that you’d be a lot better coming under the United States security umbrella than you have been under Denmark’s security umbrella.”

Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, can vote to declare independence at any point, but has resisted doing so since it relies on Denmark to support much of its economy and security. But Greenland’s leaders have made clear that they do not intend to trade Denmark for the U.S. The Greenlandic government emphasized earlier this week that the U.S. delegation — originally scheduled to meet with Greenlanders, not just Americans on the base — had not been invited.

“What we think is going to happen is that the Greenlanders are going to choose through self determination to become independent of Denmark, and then we’re going to have conversations with the people of Greenland from there,” Vance said.

A recent poll found that only 6 percent of Greenlanders are in favor of becoming part of the U.S.

Vance cautioned that Greenland is “extremely vulnerable right now” and that there is “very strong evidence” that Russia and China are interested in moving on Greenland if the United States doesn’t.

“When the president says ‘We’ve got to have Greenland,’ he’s saying this island is not safe,” Vance said. “A lot of people are interested in it. A lot of people are making a play.”

Asked if the U.S. had made military preparations to forcibly take Greenland, he said he didn’t think that would “ever be necessary,” because the “rational and good” people there would “cut a deal, Donald Trump style, to ensure the security of this territory, but also the United States of America.”

The U.S., the vice president added, is “the only nation on earth that will respect their sovereignty and respect their security.”