BRUSSELS, January 15. /TASS/. The participation of US Vice President JD Vance may complicate negotiations between the United States, Denmark, and Greenland on the island’s future, Politico reported, citing diplomats.

According to the newspaper, the announcement that the vice president would lead negotiations in Washington on Greenland has alarmed the European side. Politico said Copenhagen and the Greenland authorities had initially hoped for calm consultations with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"Vance hates us. He's the tough guy. The fact that he’s there says a lot and I think it’s negative for the outcome [of bilateral consultations]," the newspaper quoted a European diplomat as saying. According to Politico sources, none of the European negotiators consider Vance an ally on the Greenland issue or on transatlantic relations in general.

Vance has repeatedly criticized European countries for hindering the settlement in Ukraine, abandoning Christian values, encouraging uncontrolled migration, and suppressing dissent. His appearance at the international security conference in Munich in February was particularly notable, as he criticized the EU for censorship, including blocking social media. He emphasized that in its current form, Europe is "useless" to the US because it fears even its own voters. After Vance’s speech, conference chairman Christoph Heusgen called the event results "Europe's nightmare."

Greenland dispute

On January 14, Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers met in Washington with Vance and Rubio. Following the talks, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Denmark had failed to persuade the US to abandon its ambitions to annex Greenland. He also stated that neither Russia nor China poses a security threat to the island.

Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that Greenland should join the US. During his first presidential term, he proposed buying the island, and in March 2025 he said he was confident it could be annexed. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller previously questioned Denmark’s right to control Greenland and said it should become part of the US.

Greenland is Denmark’s autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen signed the Greenland Defense Agreement alongside their NATO commitments. Under the treaty, the US committed to defend the island from potential aggression.