US Vice President JD Vance has urged European leaders to “take the president of the United States seriously” on Greenland, warning that Washington could take action if allies fail to address growing strategic risks surrounding the Arctic island

Speaking at a White House news conference, Vance said the administration views Greenland as vital to global security, particularly missile defence, and expressed concern over what he described as increasing interest from “hostile adversaries.”

Asked about a message for European governments following pushback against President Donald Trump’s remarks suggesting Greenland’s strategic status could change, Vance said the issue would remain a priority in US diplomacy.

“We’ll continue to deliver some of these messages in private, some of them in public,” Vance said, indicating that discussions with European partners are ongoing.

He pointed to upcoming diplomatic engagements, noting that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet leaders from Denmark and Greenland in the coming days. “Secretary Rubio, I believe, is meeting with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland next week — or possibly the week after,” Vance said.

Vance criticised what he called exaggerated reactions from media outlets and some European officials. “Set aside the crazy overreactions that I’ve seen from the press and from certain people in Europe,” he said, before outlining the administration’s core position.

“What has the president said?” Vance asked. “First, Greenland is really important — not just to America’s missile defence, but to the world’s missile defence. Second, we know that there are hostile adversaries that have shown a lot of interest in that particular territory.”

Although Vance did not name specific countries, US officials have increasingly expressed concern about heightened Arctic activity by major powers, as melting ice opens new shipping routes and access to natural resources.

The vice president said the United States is pressing its European allies to strengthen security measures around Greenland, which is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

“What we’re asking our European friends to do is to take the security of that landmass more seriously,” Vance said. “Because if they’re not, the United States is going to have to do something about it.”

Vance declined to specify what form any US action might take, emphasising that decisions would ultimately rest with President Trump. “What that is, I’ll leave that to the president as we continue to engage in diplomacy with our European friends and everybody on this particular topic,” he said.

Greenland’s strategic significance has long been recognised by Washington due to its location in the Arctic and its role in early-warning systems for missile defence across the North Atlantic. The US already maintains military infrastructure on the island, including the Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base.

Trump previously drew global attention by publicly raising the idea of the United States acquiring Greenland, a proposal that was firmly rejected by Danish and Greenlandic leaders. However, senior US officials have increasingly framed the issue not as a territorial claim but as a security concern tied to broader geopolitical competition.

Vance’s remarks underscore the administration’s focus on Arctic security as a growing front in global strategic rivalry, with Greenland viewed as a key asset in monitoring missile threats, safeguarding transatlantic routes and countering the influence of rival powers.