Vance: US should get ‘some benefit’ from Greenland if it’s going to be ‘on the hook’ for protecting territory

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the United States should get ‘some benefit’ from Greenland if it’s going to ‘be on the hook for protecting this massive landmass.’ 

Vance told reporters in Armenia that, ‘it’s very early in the Greenland talks,’ amid the Trump administration’s push to acquire the Danish territory.  

‘We’ve been working quite a bit on this over the last few weeks, but it’s just very simple. Greenland is very important to the national security of the United States of America,’ Vance added. 

‘I do think that some of our allies have under-invested in Arctic security, and if we’re going to invest in Arctic security, if we’re basically going to pay a lot of money and be on the hook for protecting this massive landmass, I think it’s only reasonable for the United States to get some benefit out of that, and that’s going to be the focus of the negotiations here over the next few months,’ Vance said.

President Donald Trump said in mid-January that the U.S. needs Greenland ‘for the purpose of national security.’ 

‘It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!’ Trump said at the time. 

A week later, Trump said, ‘Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.’

‘This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations,’ the president said on Truth Social. 

However, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen then insisted that Denmark would not negotiate on its sovereignty despite Trump announcing the ‘framework’ of a deal. 

‘Security in the Arctic is a matter for the entire NATO alliance. Therefore, it is good and natural that it is also discussed between NATO’s Secretary General and the President of the United States. The Kingdom of Denmark has long worked for NATO to increase its engagement in the Arctic,’ Frederiksen noted in a statement, which was written in Danish. 

‘We have been in close dialogue with NATO and I have spoken to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on an ongoing basis, including both before and after his meeting with President Trump in Davos. NATO is fully aware of the position of the Kingdom of Denmark. We can negotiate on everything political; security, investments, economy. But we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty,’ she asserted. 

Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said earlier this month that, ‘We are pursuing a diplomatic solution through negotiations’ with the U.S. and that she is ‘hopeful and optimistic that we will find common ground that respect our red lines,’ according to Reuters. 

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.