Denmark’s King Frederik X is due to start a three-day visit to Greenland on Wednesday, the royal house said, in a show of support to the autonomous Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump.
Trump’s threats to seize the vast mineral-rich Arctic island by force if necessary have ratcheted up tensions between Washington and EU and NATO member Denmark.
The visit was announced in late January, when the 57-year-old Danish monarch expressed his solidarity with the island, which is home to 57,000 people.
Frederik is due to be in the capital Nuuk on Wednesday, in Maniitsoq, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Nuuk, on Thursday, and in Kangerlussuaq, farther north, on Friday, to visit the Danish troops’ Arctic training centre.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Saturday she believed US President Donald Trump still desires to own Greenland despite dialling back his recent threats to seize it by force.
Trump insists mineral-rich Greenland is vital for US and NATO security against Russia and China as a melting Arctic opens up and the superpowers jostle for strategic advantage.
A US-Denmark-Greenland working group has been established to discuss Washington’s security concerns in the Arctic, but details have not been made public.
