Denmark’s foreign minister said on Monday that he was “deeply outraged” by US President Donald Trump’s appointment of a special envoy to Greenland and his professing desire for Greenland to become part of the United States.
President Trump announced Monday in a post on Truth Social that he has appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland. “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our national security and will vigorously advance our interests for the safety, security, and survival of our allies and, by extension, the world,” President Trump posted on his social media platforms.
“We are very upset by the appointment of the special envoy, and especially by his comments. We find this completely unacceptable,” Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Danish state broadcaster TV 2, according to Reuters.
According to Reuters, Rasmussen said he would summon the US ambassador to Denmark following the Trump administration’s move.
President Trump defended his decision to select Landry on Monday night, telling reporters that the United States needs Greenland “for national security” and that Landry had approached him about the role.
“Louisiana, the Louisiana Purchase. He said I’m the governor of Louisiana and he said he’d be happy…I didn’t call him, he called me. He’s been very proactive,” Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago.
President Trump tried to advocate annexing Greenland, even though Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, saying, “We don’t need Greenland for the minerals, we need it for national security. There’s so much land for minerals and oil and everything.” “If you look at Greenland, there are Russian and Chinese ships everywhere, up and down the coast. We need that for national security. We have to have it,” he added.
In his remarks Monday, President Trump went on to claim that Denmark has “not spent any money” on Greenland and has “no military protection.”
Landry thanked President Trump for his appointment and said, “It is an honor to serve in this volunteer capacity to help make Greenland part of the United States.” He also said his position as governor of Louisiana “will not be affected in any way.”
President Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex Greenland, a huge resource-rich island in the Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous Danish territory, arguing that this is necessary for U.S. national security.
Greenland and Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States, are adamantly opposed to the idea.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen on Monday renewed their opposition to US plans to occupy Greenland, saying, “We cannot annex another country. There can be no discussion about international security,” according to Reuters.
“Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the United States will not occupy Greenland,” the joint statement said.
Reuters quoted Nielsen as saying earlier on Monday that Trump’s announcement “may sound big, but it doesn’t change anything for us. We decide the future.”
Vice President J.D. Vance made a controversial visit to the island in March, repeatedly asserting that the island was vulnerable and that the United States had “no choice” but to increase its presence there.
In August, the US envoy to Denmark was summoned to the Danish Foreign Ministry after the country’s public broadcaster reported that several American men had attempted to carry out an “influence operation” in Greenland.
Earlier, Rasmussen said the new appointment “confirms the continued interest of the United States in Greenland,” according to Reuters. “However, we insist that everyone, including the United States, must respect the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Meanwhile, European Union Spokesperson Anuar El Anouni said: “It is essential for the European Union to maintain the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of the Kingdom of Denmark’s borders.”
