Denmark to summon US ambassador over Trump Greenland envoy appointment | Greenland
Denmark said it would summon the US ambassador after Donald Trump announced that he had appointed a special envoy to the Danish autonomous region of Greenland, which he threatened to annex.
“I am deeply angered by the appointment and the statement, which I find completely unacceptable,” Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in an interview on Denmark’s TV2, adding that the foreign ministry would call the US ambassador in the coming days “to get an explanation”.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly said the United States needs the resource-rich island for security reasons and has refused to rule out the use of force to secure it.
Trump announced early Monday that he had appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as U.S. special envoy for Greenland. “Jeff understands how important Greenland is to our National Security and will strongly advance our Nation’s Interests for the Safety, Security and Survival of our Allies and indeed the World,” Trump wrote on social media platform Truth Social.
Landry responded directly to Trump in a post on X: “It is an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland part of the United States.”
The vast majority of Greenland’s 57,000 people want independence from Denmark but not part of the United States, according to a January poll.
The leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly said that the huge island in the Arctic is not for sale and that its future will be decided by itself. “This appointment confirms America’s continued interest in Greenland,” Rasmussen said in an emailed statement to AFP. “However, we insist that everyone, including the United States, must respect the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Greenland has a strategic location between North America and Europe, at a time when the US, China and Russia are increasingly interested in the North Pole, where sea routes are opening due to climate change.
Greenland’s location also places it on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States.
In August, Denmark summoned the US chargé d’affaires following reports of an attempted intervention in Greenland.
At least three US officials close to Trump were seen trying to determine those in favor and against rapprochement with the US in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.
The United States opened a consulate in Greenland in June 2020.
