On Sunday, former President Donald Trump announced that Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry would serve as an envoy, igniting renewed tensions regarding Washington’s interest in Greenland, a vast territory of Denmark and a NATO ally. In response, Denmark’s foreign minister revealed plans to summon the U.S. ambassador to discuss the situation.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, emphasized in a joint statement, “We have reiterated our stance: national borders and state sovereignty are grounded in international law.”
“These principles are non-negotiable. One cannot annex another nation, even under the guise of international security concerns,” the statement continued.
Adding further, the leaders affirmed, “Greenland belongs to its people, and the United States will not assume control over it,” as conveyed in a communiqué from Frederiksen’s office.
“We anticipate respect for our collective territorial integrity,” they asserted.
Trump has persistently advocated for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland since his presidential transition and the onset of his second term, not dismissing the option of military force to seize the resource-rich Arctic island. In March, Vice President JD Vance visited a distant U.S. military base in Greenland, criticizing Denmark for insufficient investment in the region.
The issue gradually drifted out of the headlines, but in August, Danish officials summoned the top US diplomat in Copenhagen following a report that at least three people with connections to Trump had carried out covert influence operations in Greenland.
On Sunday, Trump announced Landry’s appointment, saying on social media that “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World.”
Landry wrote in a post on social media that “it’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the US.”
The Trump administration did not offer any warning ahead of the announcement, according to a Danish government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The official also said Danish officials had expected Trump to signal an aggressive approach to Greenland and the Arctic in the US administration’s new national security strategy and were surprised when the document included no mention of either.
Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly said Monday that Trump decided to create the special envoy role because the administration views Greenland as “a strategically important location in the Arctic for maintaining peace through strength.”
Danish broadcasters TV2 and DR reported that in comments from the Faroe Islands Monday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he would summon the US ambassador in Copenhagen, Kenneth Howery, to his ministry.
Greenland’s prime minister wrote in a separate statement that Greenland had again woken up to a new announcement from the US president, and that “it may sound significant. But it changes nothing for us here at home.”
Nielsen noted that Greenland has its own democracy and said that “we are happy to cooperate with other countries, including the United States, but this must always take place with respect for us and for our values and wishes.”
Earlier this month, the Danish Defence Intelligence Service said in an annual report that the US is using its economic power to “assert its will” and threaten military force against friend and foe alike.
Denmark is a member of the European Union as well as NATO.
The president of the EU’s executive commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on social media that Arctic security is 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.
