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Trump wants Greenland to become part of United States

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Denmark criticises new US envoy's comments on Greenland

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Greenland's mineral wealth has heightened US interest

By Steve Holland

PALM BEACH, Florida/COPENHAGEN, Dec 22 (Reuters) -

P resident Donald Trump reasserted on Monday that the United

States needs Greenland for its national security and said a

special envoy he appointed to the Arctic island would "lead the

charge."

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.

Trump has advocated for Greenland, a self-governing Danish

territory, to become part of the United States, citing its

strategic ​importance and mineral resources. Landry, who took

office as governor in January 2024, publicly supports the idea.

"We need Greenland for national ‍security, not for minerals

... If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down ⁠the

coast, you have Russian and ⁠Chinese ships all over the place. We

need it for national security. We have to have it," Trump told

reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, adding that Landry wanted to

"lead ‌the charge."

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's

Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen ​earlier said in a joint

statement that Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.

"You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument

about international security," they said. "Greenland belongs to

the Greenlanders and the U.S. shall not take over Greenland."

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 U.S. 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 U.S., including

two being developed by Denmark's state-controlled Orsted.

GREENLAND'S STRATEGIC VALUE

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 U.S. ballistic missile defence

system, while its mineral wealth has heightened U.S. interest in

reducing reliance on Chinese exports.

After Trump made the appointment on Sunday, Greenland's

Nielsen commented on Facebook: "We have woken up ​again to a ‍new

announcement from the U.S. president. This may sound big, but it

does not change anything for us. We decide our own future."

DIPLOMATIC TENSIONS ESCALATE

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Monday

he would summon U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Howery, ​who had pledged

"mutual respect" during a recent visit to Greenland.

"Out of nowhere, there is now a special U.S. presidential

representative, who, according to himself, is tasked with taking

over Greenland. This is, of course, completely unacceptable,"

Rasmussen told TV2.

Denmark 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 to address

U.S. criticisms about inadequate security.

"It is a difficult situation that our allies for a lifetime

are putting us in," Prime Minister Frederiksen said in an

Instagram post.

Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a political science professor at ​the

University of Copenhagen, told Reuters: "This appointment shows

that all the money Denmark has invested in Greenland, in the

defence of the Arctic, and all the friendly things we have said

to the Americans, have had no effect at all."