Palm Beach, Florida: President Donald Trump says the US needs Greenland for its national security, adding that a special envoy he appointed to the Arctic island would “lead the charge”.
Trump named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland, drawing renewed criticism from a stunned Denmark and Greenland over Washington’s interest in the mineral-rich Arctic island.
Trump has advocated for Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, to become part of the US, citing its strategic importance and mineral resources. Landry, who took office as governor in January 2024, publicly supports the idea.
“We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals … If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need it for national security. We have to have it,” Trump told reporters in Florida
He added that he wanted Landry – whom he described as “a deal-maker type guy” – to lead the charge.
“[Greenland] have a very small population, and I don’t know – they say Denmark, but Denmark has spent no money. They have no military protection,” Trump said.
“They say that Denmark was there 300 years ago or something, with a boat. Well, we were there with boats too, I’m sure. So we’ll have to work it all out.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen earlier said in a joint statement that the US cannot take over Greenland.
“You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security,” they said. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
Landry, in a post on X, thanked Trump: “It’s an honour to serve … in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!”
The Trump administration put further pressure on Copenhagen on Monday, when it suspended leases for five large offshore wind projects being built off the East Coast of the US, including two being developed by Denmark’s state-controlled Orsted.
Greenland, a former Danish colony with a population of about 57,000, has the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement but remains heavily reliant on fishing and Danish subsidies.
Its strategic position between Europe and North America makes it a key site for the US ballistic missile defence system, while its mineral wealth has heightened US interest in reducing reliance on Chinese exports.
Trump called repeatedly during his presidential transition and the early months of his second term for US jurisdiction over Greenland, and has not ruled out military force to take it. In March, Vice President JD Vance visited a remote American military base in Greenland and accused Denmark of under-investing there.
After the US president made the appointment on the weekend, Greenland’s Nielsen commented on Facebook: “We have woken up again to a new announcement from the US president. This may sound big, but it does not change anything for us. We decide our own future.”
“We have said it before. Now, we say it again. National borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law.”
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he would summon US ambassador Kenneth Howery, who had pledged “mutual respect” during a recent visit to Greenland.
“I am deeply angered by the appointment and the statement, which I find totally unacceptable,” Rasmussen told local television.
“Out of nowhere, there is now a special US presidential representative, who, according to himself, is tasked with taking over Greenland. This is, of course, completely unacceptable.”
Denmark – a member of the European Union and NATO – has sought to repair strained ties with Greenland over the past year, while also trying to ease tensions with the Trump administration by investing in Arctic defence.
This month, the Danish Defence Intelligence Service said in an annual report that the US was using its economic power to “assert its will” and threaten military force against friend and foe alike.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Arctic security was a “key priority” for the bloc and one on which it seeks to work with allies and partners. She also said that “territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law.”
“We stand in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland,” she wrote on social media.
Reuters, AP
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