“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 US. This in no way affects my position as governor of Louisiana!”
Trump has named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland.Credit: Bloomberg
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.
A statue of the Danish missionary Hans Egede, founder of the city of Nuuk, overlooking the Greenland capital.Credit: Bloomberg
After the US president appointed Landry 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.
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“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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