Key European Commission presidential trip comes as the Arctic region becomes a geopolitical flashpoint
Shortly after Icelanders vote on negotiations to join the EU, Ursula von der Leyen is to visit Greenland on 6 and 7 September alongside Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister.
After Donald Trump’s repeated demands to take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory under Denmark, the world’s biggest island has become a flashpoint of transatlantic tensions as Russia also eyes the region.
In Greenland, von der Leyen and Frederiksen are expected to meet with local officials including Greenlandic Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Von der Leyen originally planned to visit Greenland in March, but the trip was postponed when Frederiksen called early elections. Planning was subsequently delayed further by prolonged coalitions talks in Copenhagen.
