Second lady Usha Vance will visit Greenland on Thursday alongside U.S. officials as President Donald Trump continues to express his desire for America to acquire the semiautonomous Danish territory.

The White House on Sunday announced the high-profile trip, saying Vance ‒ wife of Vice President JD Vance ‒ will travel with her son and a U.S. delegation to visit historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage and attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race.
“Ms. Vance and the delegation are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity,” the White House said.
As part of the trip, White House national security advisor Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright will visit a U.S. military base in Greenland, Reuters reported.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has talked repeatedly about the U.S. taking over Greenland, which is rich with minerals and holds a key position along shipping routes.
“We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it,” Trump said earlier this month during his joint address to Congress.
He added in an aside: “I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it.”

More recently, Trump told NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during an Oval Office meeting that the U.S. needs control of Greenland. “I think that will happen,” Trump told reporters on the prospect of annexation.
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has said repeatedly Greenland is not for sale.

Frederiksen, in a written statement on Vance’s visit, said Denmark wants to cooperate with the U.S., but it should be cooperation based on “the fundamental rules of sovereignty.”

“This is something we take seriously,” she said, adding that the dialogue with the U.S. regarding Greenland would take place in close coordination with the Danish government and the future Greenlandic government.