The European Union and Greenland are set to sign an agreement that strengthens their cooperation on Monday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is visiting the capital Nuuk to sign a new EU-Greenland declaration.
EU investment pledges running into three-digit millions are also expected at the signing.
Von der Leyen said on her arrival on Sunday that the visit was about further consolidating a unique partnership. “We are family,” she wrote on social media.
Greenland is largely autonomous but forms part of the territory of Denmark, an EU member state.
The visit is particularly significant because Washington has staked a claim to Greenland, citing security interests, and has sought to force the sale of the world’s largest island to the US.
US President Donald Trump has argued that Denmark is unable to protect Greenland from Russia and China. The territory, with a population of just under 57,000, is also of interest due to its extensive reserves of critical raw materials.
Trump last renewed his claims on Greenland in July, linking them to an ongoing review of US troop deployments in Europe.
He suggested the US could scale back its contribution to deterring Russia if no satisfactory agreement on Greenland’s future was reached.