Trump says US needs Greenland after naming special envoy

Donald Trump has sparked a new row with Denmark after appointing a special envoy to Greenland, the vast Arctic island he says he wants to annex.

Responding to the BBC’s question about the new role of Louisiana’s Republican governor Jeff Landry, Trump said the US needed Greenland for “national protection” and “we must have it”.

He said Landry would “lead the charge” as special envoy for Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

The move angered Copenhagen, which said it would call the US ambassador for “an explanation”. Greenland’s prime minister said the island must “decide our own future” and its “territorial integrity must be respected.”

Governor Landry said in a post on X that it was an honor to “volunteer to serve to make Greenland part of the United States.”

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has revived his long-standing interest in Greenland, citing its strategic location and mineral wealth.

He refused to rule out using force to secure control of the island; It was a stance that shocked Denmark, a NATO ally that has traditionally had close relations with Washington.

“We’re going to have to figure this out,” Trump added. “We need Greenland for national security, not mines.”

Trump specifically mentioned Chinese and Russian ships as potential threats in the near seas.

Greenland, home to approximately 57,000 people, has had extensive self-government since 1979, although defense and foreign policy remain in Danish hands. While most Greenlanders support eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the United States.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called Landry’s appointment “deeply regrettable” and warned Washington to respect Danish sovereignty.

“As long as we have a kingdom consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, we cannot accept actions that undermine our territorial integrity,” he told Danish broadcaster TV2.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the region was willing to cooperate with the United States and other countries, but only on the basis of mutual respect.

He said: “The appointment of a special envoy does not change anything for us. We decide our own future. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and its territorial integrity must be respected.”

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her post on channel X that the EU stands in “full solidarity with the people of Denmark and Greenland.”

Writing earlier on social media, the US president said Landry understood “how important Greenland is to our national security” and would advance US interests.

The significance of this appointment is both the US assumption that Greenland is separate from Denmark and the new appointee’s assertion that he will help the island become part of the US.

Ambassadors are unofficial appointments and, unlike official diplomats, do not need to be approved by the host country.

What this appointment shows is that Trump’s ambition to control Greenland remains unabated.

As with his military and rhetorical aggression against Venezuela, this suggests Trump is determined to gain greater control over what his latest National Security Strategy calls the “Western hemisphere,” a sphere of influence he hopes will include all of the Americas.

Trump tried to buy Greenland during his first term as president. Both the Danish and Greenlandic governments rejected the 2019 offer, saying “Greenland is not for sale.”

Landry has previously expressed his opinion about Greenland. writes to personal X account In January: “President Donald J. Trump is absolutely right! We need to get Greenland to join the United States. GREAT for them, GREAT for us! Let’s get it done!”

Landry is a military veteran and former police officer who was a U.S. Congressman and Louisiana’s attorney general before being elected governor in 2023. He said his new position would not affect his duties as governor.

The dispute over its deployment comes as strategic competition in the Arctic intensifies, with ice melting, new shipping routes opening up and access to valuable mineral resources increasing.

Greenland is located in the Arctic between North America and Europe, making it the center of US and NATO security planning.

The United States has maintained a base in Greenland since World War II, after the Nazis occupied Denmark during the conflict to establish military stations and radio stations in Greenland.

Vice President J.D. Vance Visited the base in March While asking the people of Greenland to “reach an agreement with the United States.”

The United States reopened a consulate in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, in 2020, after closing it in 1953 during Trump’s first term. Some European countries, as well as Canada, have honorary consulates general in Greenland.

Additional reporting by Bernd Debusmann Jr. at Mar-a-Lago