Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Four of the five parties elected to Greenland’s parliament agreed to form a new government on Thursday, banding together amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s effort to annex the island, local media reported.The agreement was reached ahead of Vice President JD Vance’s arrival on the Arctic island on Friday.He and second lady Usha Vance are expected to visit the Pituffik Space Base on a scaled-back version of a trip that had angered officials in Greenland and Denmark.Newsweek has contacted a Vance spokesperson for comment via social media.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance eating with Marines in the chow hall at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on March 26.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance eating with Marines in the chow hall at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on March 26.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Why It MattersTrump has repeatedly said the U.S. needs to gain control of Greenland for security purposes, telling Congress earlier this month that it would happen “one way or another.”However, an overwhelming majority of Greenlanders oppose the U.S. president’s plan. In polling conducted in January for Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenlandic paper Sermitsiaq, 85 percent of respondents said they opposed becoming part of the United States. On March 15, protests took place outside the U.S. consulate in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.What To Know Until the agreement, Greenland, a self-governing region of Denmark, had been in a political vacuum, as it had not formed a new government following its March 11 election.Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the leader of the Demokraatit, the largest party in parliament, said after his party’s surprise victory that he wanted to form the broadest coalition possible to resist pressure from the U.S.The coalition agreement is set to be signed on Friday morning, Sermitsiaq reported, citing Nielsen.The coalition is set to have 23 of 31 seats in parliament, and it is expected to exclude one party, Naleraq, which left the coalition negotiations on Monday, according to the newspaper. Newsweek has contacted Nielsen for further comment via email.Talks had been ongoing when the White House announced that the second lady would be visiting Greenland this week. It was reported that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz would also be on the trip.Outgoing Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede called the visit, at a time when Greenland was in the process of forming a new government, a “provocation.”The government of Greenland also denied Trump’s assertion that Greenlanders had called for a visit, writing on Facebook on Monday: “Just for the record, Naalakkersuisut, the government of Greenland, has not extended any invitations for any visits, neither private nor official.”The present government is a caretaker government awaiting the formation of a new government coalition and we have kindly requested all countries to respect this process.”Usha Vance had initially been set to visit Greenland without her husband, with the White House saying the trip would include her visiting Nuuk and historic sites and attending the Avannaata Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut.The plan was revised amid the uproar. The vice president announced on Tuesday that he would be accompanying her on the trip because he “didn’t want her to have all that fun by herself.” He framed the trip around security, saying Trump wanted to “reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland because we think it’s important to protecting the security of the entire world.”The White House said the Vances would be visiting the Pituffik Space Base to receive a briefing on Arctic security issues and meet with U.S. service members.A journalist in Nuuk reported that U.S. officials had knocked on doors seeking people willing to receive a visit from the second lady but had found no one, prompting the change in plans.Henrik Skydsbjerg, the manager of Tupilak Travel, a travel agency in Nuuk, told Newsweek earlier this week that he had rejected a visit over fears it would “turn out to be a MAGA event.” Skydsbjerg also said the change in itinerary was a “great relief” to most Greenlanders.What People Are Saying Dwayne Ryan Menezes, the founder and managing director of the Polar Research and Policy Initiative, said in a statement on Thursday: “The coalition agreement could not have come at a better time as it will signal to the Vances the unity forged in defiance of Trump’s aggressive rhetoric and their ill-timed visit.”U.S. Vice President JD Vance said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday: “Speaking for President Trump, we want to reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland because we think it’s important to protecting the security of the entire world. Unfortunately, leaders in both America and in Denmark, I think, ignored Greenland for far too long. That’s been bad for Greenland. It’s also been bad for the security of the entire world. We think we can take things in a different direction, so I’m gonna go check it out.”U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with podcaster Vince Coglianese on Wednesday: “We need Greenland for international safety and security. We need it. We have to have it.”When asked if the people were eager to join the U.S., Trump said he didn’t know, adding, “But I think we have to do it, and we have to convince them.”Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote on Facebook on Wednesday: “President Trump’s interest in Greenland is not going away. This is evident from what he has said publicly several times, most recently again today. …”They know very well that Greenland is not for sale. They know very well that Greenland doesn’t want to be part of the United States. It has been communicated unambiguously to them both directly and in public.”What Happens Next JD and Usha Vance are scheduled to arrive in Greenland on Friday.
