Statements by US envoy on annexation of Greenland provoke alarm in Denmark

The announcement made by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, on Sunday night (21), reignited diplomatic tensions involving Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark located in the Arctic. Trump reported that he had appointed Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as US special envoy to deal with the island, a decision that was followed, the following day, by statements from Landry himself advocating that Greenland become part of American territory.

The move occurs in a context in which Trump, now in his second term, has once again publicly expressed the United States’ strategic interest in Greenland. In a publication on the Truth Social network, the president stated that Landry understands the importance of the island for American national security and that he will act in defense of US interests “in favor of the Security, Protection and Survival of our Allies and, in fact, the World”.

The international reaction was immediate. In Copenhagen, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, announced this Monday (22) the summons of the United States ambassador, a diplomatic gesture that expresses formal discontent between countries. Rasmussen declared that he was “deeply disturbed” by both the appointment and Landry’s statements, which he classified as “totally unacceptable”.

Landry, in turn, thanked the nomination on social media and stated that he considers it “an honor to serve (…) in this voluntary role to make Greenland part of the USA”. The governor, affiliated with the Republican Party, has been in office since 2024 and said that the new assignment does not interfere with his mandate as head of the state of Louisiana, which runs until 2027.

In Greenland itself, the American position also provoked reactions. The territory’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, stated that Greenlanders will decide their own future and demanded respect for the local population, Denmark and the island’s territorial integrity. In Brussels, the European Union released a note in which it highlighted that the sovereignty of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must be preserved.

Greenlandic parliamentarian Aaja Chemnitz, who is part of the Danish Parliament, assessed that the existence of an American special envoy would not, in itself, be a problem, but criticized the objective attributed to the mission. “The problem is that he has been given the task of taking over Greenland or making it part of the United States — and there is no desire for that in Greenland,” he told Reuters.

The episode resumes an old Trump offensive. During his first term, the president even declared that he intended to buy Greenland, a proposal immediately rejected by local authorities. Since then, Trump has adopted a tougher speech, stating that the United States “needs” the island and not ruling out the use of military force to guarantee control of the territory.

In recent speeches, the American president justified the interest by citing security reasons, such as the installation of radars and military bases to monitor threats coming from Russia and Europe, in addition to Greenland’s strategic position in the North Atlantic. The island also has reserves of minerals considered essential for the energy transition, as well as oil and natural gas, although the exploration of these resources faces environmental restrictions and opposition from local communities.

Trump’s statements throughout 2025 sparked protests in Greenland and criticism from European countries. In March, during a speech to Congress, the president stated that the US “is going to take Greenland one way or another”, which intensified the international reaction. There were also threats of raising tariffs against Denmark if the country tried to block the eventual incorporation of the territory.

Experts assess that, although Greenland has political autonomy and can, in theory, decide for its independence from Denmark, the possibility of becoming part of the United States is remote. A recent survey indicated that only 6% of the population supports this alternative. As researcher Ulrik Pram Gad of the Danish Institute of International Studies summarized, “Greenland is discussing independence from Denmark, but no Greenlander wants to simply move to a new colonial master.”