N UUK, Greenland — U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife are due to visit an American military base in Greenland on Friday in a trip that was scaled back after an uproar among Greenlanders and Danes who were irked that the original itinerary was planned without consulting them.

US Vice-President JD Vance has accused Denmark of leaving Greenland vulnerable to alleged incursions by China and Russia, as he asked its people to "cut a deal" with the US. Speaking during a visit to the Arctic island,

The prime minister of Greenland is pushing back against assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump that America will take control of the island territory

For months, President Trump has said he wants to take control of Greenland as a U.S. territory and refused to rule out force. But Vice President JD Vance used a much more conciliatory tone than his boss during a visit there.

In addition, Trump says the US needs Greenland for "economic security". Some think that, as the ice thins in the Arctic, new shipping routes will open up. He is known, too, to be much concerned with mineral resources,