(L-R) Greenland politician Aqqalu Jerimiassen, Jens-Frederik Nielsen the leader of the Demokraatit party, the Prime Minister of Greenland Múte Bourup Egede and Vivian Motzfeldt of the Siumut party attend the announcement of a coalition agreement to form the next government, on March 28, 2025 in Nuuk, Greenland.
Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Greenland presented a new government coalition agreement on Friday, just hours before a visit by U.S. Vice President JD Vance to the Arctic island that President Donald Trump has expressed interest in acquiring.
The new majority government will be headed by Democrats leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who had urged parties to set aside disagreements and form a broad coalition to show unity amid Trump’s campaign to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The pro-business Democrats, who favour gradual independence from Denmark, emerged as the biggest party, tripling their representation to 10 seats in a March 11 general election.
Since taking office in January, Trump has vowed to make Greenland part of the United States, saying it is vital to U.S. security interests, an idea rejected by most Greenlanders.
Greenland’s strategic location and largely untapped mineral resources are attractive to the U.S. It lies along the shortest air route from Europe to North America, vital for the U.S. ballistic missile warning system, and the U.S. already has a base there.
The U.S. delegation, which is led by Vance and will also include his wife Usha, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, was scheduled to land at around 1530 GMT at the U.S. base, at Pituffik in the north of the island.
An initial plan to visit the capital Nuuk and a popular dog sled race had angered authorities in both Greenland and Denmark, prompting the U.S. administration to change its plans.