Trump Names Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry As United States Special Envoy to Greenland

Donald Trump has sparked a fresh row with Denmark after appointing a special envoy to Greenland, the vast Arctic island he has said he would like to annex. United States In response to a question from the BBC about the new role of Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, Trump said the US needed Greenland for "national protection" and that "we have to have it". Landry, he said, would "lead the charge" as special envoy to Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The move has angered Copenhagen, which said it would call the US ambassador for "an explanation". Greenland's prime minister said the island must "decide our own future" and its "territorial integrity must be respected". Denmark's Foreign Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, described the appointment of Landry as "deeply upsetting" and warned Washington to respect Danish sovereignty. He told Danish broadcaster TV2: "As long as we have a kingdom consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, we cannot accept actions that undermine our territorial integrity." Greenland's Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the territory was willing to cooperate with the US and other countries, but only on the basis of mutual respect. He said: "The appointment of a special envoy does not change anything for us. We decide our own future. Greenland belongs to Greenlanders, and territorial integrity must be respected." EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that the EU stands in "full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland". Writing on social media earlier, the US president said Landry understood how "essential Greenland is to our national security" and would advance US interests. The significance of this appointment is both the US presumption that Greenland is separate from Denmark and the new appointee's assertion that he will help the island become part of the US. Envoys are informal appointments and unlike official diplomats, do not have to be approved by the host country. What this appointment shows is that Trump's ambition to control Greenland remains undimmed. As with his military and rhetorical aggression towards Venezuela, it indicates Trump is determined to gain greater control over what his recent National Security Strategy called "the Western hemisphere", a sphere of influence that he hopes will cover the whole of the Americas. Trump tried to buy Greenland during his first presidential term. Both Denmark and the Greenlandic government rejected the 2019 proposal, saying: "Greenland is not for sale." Landry has previously voiced his opinion on Greenland, writing on his personal X account in January: "President Donald J. Trump is absolutely right! We need to ensure that Greenland joins the United States. GREAT for them, GREAT for us! Let's get it done!" Landry is a military veteran and former police officer who was a US Congressman and Louisiana's attorney general before being elected governor in 2023. He said his new role would not affect his duties as governor. The dispute over his appointment comes as strategic competition in the Arctic grows, with melting ice opening new shipping routes and increasing access to valuable mineral resources. Greenland is located in the Arctic between North America and Europe, which also makes it central to US and Nato security planning.