WASHINGTON, United States  (AFP) – Usha Vance, the wife of US Vice President JD Vance, will visit Greenland this week, the White House said Sunday, traveling to the autonomous Danish territory that President Donald Trump wants to annex.

Vance will go to Greenland from Thursday through Saturday with her son and a US delegation to view historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage and watch the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race, the White House said in a statement.

“Ms. Vance and the delegation are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity,” the White House said in a statement.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Greenlandic daily Sermitsiaq on Sunday the visit “cannot be seen independently of the public statements that have been made” by Trump.

Since returning to power in January, Trump has insisted he wants the United States to take over Greenland and even refused to rule out the use of force to achieve that.

The vast territory is located strategically in the Arctic and is rich in mineral resources.

Asked by White House reporters earlier this month about taking over the island, Trump said: “I think it will happen.”

Trump claims the United States needs to own Greenland for its own security.

“We want to work with the Americans,” Frederiksen told Sermitsiaq.

“But it must and shall be a cooperation based on the fundamental values of sovereignty and respect between countries and peoples. This is something we take seriously,” she said.

“The dialog with the United States regarding Greenland will take place in close coordination between the Danish government and the future Greenlandic government.”

According to polls, most Greenlanders support independence from Denmark but not annexation by Washington.

During his first term in power from 2017 to 2021, Trump raised the idea of buying Greenland from Denmark but officials in both places said it was not for sale.