Usha Vance, the wife of US vice-president JD Vance, will travel to Greenland this week as President Donald Trump clings to the idea of a US annexation of the strategic, semi-autonomous Danish territory.

Vance will visit Greenland on Thursday with a US delegation to tour historical sites, learn about the territory’s heritage and attend the national dogsled race, the White House said in a statement.

The delegation will return to the US on 29 March. The White House national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and the energy secretary, Chris Wright, will also travel to Greenland, visiting a US military base in Greenland, a US official said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump has made US annexation of Greenland a major talking point since taking office for a second time on 20 January and has said it will become part of the US “one way or the other”.

Speaking on Sunday to the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq, Greenland’s prime minister, Múte Egede, said the visit by Waltz was a “provocation”.

“The only purpose is to show a demonstration of power to us, and the signal is not to be misunderstood,” he said. “He is Trump’s confidential and closest adviser, and his presence in Greenland alone will certainly make the Americans believe in Trump’s mission, and the pressure will increase after the visit.”

Greenland’s strategic location and rich mineral resources could benefit the US. It lies along the shortest route from Europe to North America – vital for the US ballistic missile warning system.

The governments of both Greenland and Denmark have voiced opposition to such a move.

The Greenlandic government, which is in a caretaker period after a 11 March general election won by a party that favours a slow approach to independence from Denmark, did not reply to requests for comments.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said in a written comment reacting to news of the visit that “this is something we take seriously”. She said Denmark wanted to cooperate with the US but it should be cooperation based on “the fundamental rules of sovereignty”.

She added that the dialogue with the US regarding Greenland would take place in close coordination with the Danish government and the future Greenlandic government.

With Reuters