Denmark not keeping Greenland safe from Russia: Vance

US Vice President JD Vance has accused Denmark of failing to adequately provide security for Greenland during a trip to the Arctic island.

During a visit to the US military base at Pituffik in the north of the Arctic island, Vance said the US has no immediate plans to expand its military presence on the ground but will invest in resources including additional naval ships.

He pledged respect for Greenland's sovereignty but also suggested the territory would come to see the benefit of partnering with the US, in remarks the Danish prime minister called unfair.

"Denmark has not kept pace and devoted the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view, to keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of very aggressive incursions from Russia, from China and other nations," Vance said.

He gave no details of the alleged incursions.

In Greenland on Friday, Vance said Russia, China and other nations are taking an "extraordinary interest" in Arctic passageways, naval routes and minerals in the region.

He said the US will invest more resources, including naval ships and military icebreakers that will have a greater presence in the country.

As Greenlanders expressed deep unease about the visit, Vance vowed the people of Greenland would have "self-determination" and the US would respect its sovereignty.

"I think that they ultimately will partner with the United States," Vance said. "We can make them much more secure. We could do a lot more protection. And I think they'd fare a lot better economically as well."

His remarks came just hours after a new broad government coalition that aims to keep ties with Denmark for now was presented in the capital, Nuuk.

Greenland's new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the US visit signalled a "lack of respect," while Danish leaders expressed their commitment to Greenland.

"For many years we have stood side by side with the Americans under very difficult circumstances. Therefore the vice president's description of Denmark is not a fair one," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement to Danish news agency Ritzau.

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Vance "has a point that we haven't done enough, but I'm a little provoked because it's also the Americans who haven't done enough."

Rasmussen said that the US today has a base with 200 soldiers, while during the Cold War the Americans had 17 military installations in Greenland with 10,000 soldiers.

As Vance's visit was underway, Trump told reporters at the White House the US needs Greenland to ensure the "peace of the entire world."

"We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security. We have to have Greenland. It's not a question of, 'Do you think we can do without it?' We can't," he said.

Trump said Greenland's waterways have "Chinese and Russian ships all over the place" and the United States will not rely on Denmark or anybody else to handle the situation.

Vance greeted members of the US armed forces shortly after his arrival, thanking them for their service on the remote base located 1200km north of the Arctic Circle. The outside temperature at Pituffik was -19C.

Vance's wife Usha, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright accompanied him on the trip.

Under the terms of a 1951 agreement, the US is entitled to visit its base whenever it wants, as long as it notifies Greenland and Copenhagen. Pituffik is located along the shortest route from Europe to North America and is vital for the US ballistic missile warning system.