The US administration has already made it clear that it wants to annex Greenland. This is just another move in the controversial issue
Denmark’s Foreign Minister said this Monday that he was “deeply disturbed” by the appointment, by United States President Donald Trump, of a special envoy to Greenland, who declared that he wanted the island to become part of the United States.
“I am deeply disturbed by this appointment of a special envoy. And I am particularly upset by his statements, which we consider completely unacceptable,” Lars Løkke Rasmussen told Danish national broadcaster TV 2, according to the Reuters news agency.
Rasmussen assured that he would summon the US ambassador to Denmark in response to the Trump administration’s move, Reuters reported.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen and Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen speak to journalists in Copenhagen on September 26 (Liselotte Sabroe/AFP/Ritzau Scanpix/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
This Sunday, Trump announced the appointment of Jeff Landry, the governor of Louisiana, as special envoy to Greenland. “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,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
In thanking Trump for his nomination, Landry said it was an “honor to serve him in this volunteer capacity to make Greenland a part of the USA.” The official also stated that “this does not in any way affect” his position as governor of Louisiana.
Trump has repeatedly stated that he intends to annex Greenland – a huge, resource-rich island in the Atlantic and an autonomous territory of Denmark – claiming that this is necessary for American security purposes.
Both Greenland and Denmark, a US ally in NATO, are firmly opposed to this idea.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Monday reiterated their opposition to the United States’ plans to occupy Greenland, stating that “you cannot annex another country. Not even on an international security basis,” according to Reuters.
“Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the US must not take over Greenland,” they said in a joint statement.
Nielsen said this Monday that Trump’s announcement “may seem big, but it doesn’t change anything for us. We decide our own future”, reported Reuters.
Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance with Col. Susan Meyers (left), commander of U.S. Army Space Base Pituffik, as they visit the base on March 28 in Pituffik, Greenland. (Jim Watson/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
Vice President JD Vance made a controversial visit to the island in March, repeatedly stating that it was vulnerable and that the US had “no other option” but to reinforce its presence on the island.
In August, the US envoy in Denmark was summoned by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the country’s public broadcaster reported that several American men had attempted to conduct “influence operations” in Greenland.
Rasmussen previously said the new appointment “confirms continued American interest in Greenland,” Reuters reported. “However, we insist that everyone – including the US – must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Meanwhile, European Union spokesperson Anouar El Anouni stressed that “preserving the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, its sovereigntyand the unviability of its borders is essential for the European Union.”
