President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that the United States needed Greenland for ’national security’ and announced Jeff Landry will lead the charge of the Danish Arctic island.
President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that the United States needed Greenland for “national security” and announced that his special envoy will lead the charge of the Danish Arctic island.
After being elected as the President of United States for the second term, Trump has emphasised his need for the resource-rich autonomous territory.
Trump named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Sunday as his special envoy to Greenland, drawing renewed criticism from Denmark and Greenland over Washington’s interest in the mineral-rich Arctic island.
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“We need Greenland for national security. Not for minerals,” Trump told a news conference in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.
“If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” he said.
“We need it for national security. We have to have it,” Trump said, adding that Landry “wanted to lead the charge”.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen earlier Monday said in a joint statement that Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.
“You cannot annex another country,” they said. “We expect respect for our joint territorial integrity.”
Landry, in a post on X, thanked Trump: “It’s an honor 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!”
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.
The Danish foreign minister earlier told TV2 television the appointment and statements were “totally unacceptable” and, several hours later, said the US ambassador had been called up to the ministry for an explanation.
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“We summoned the American ambassador to the foreign ministry today for a meeting, together with the Greenlandic representative, where we very clearly drew a red line and also asked for an explanation,” Lokke Rasmussen told public broadcaster DR in an interview.
Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly insisted that the vast island is not for sale and that it will decide its own future.
Lokke Rasmussen said Trump’s appointment of a special envoy confirmed continued US interest in Greenland.
Trump’s determination to take over Greenland has stunned Denmark, a fellow member of NATO that has fought alongside the US in its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
