Denmark to summon US ambassador over Trump Greenland envoy appointment

Denmark has said it will summon the US ambassador after Donald Trump announced he had appointed a special envoy to Greenland, the Danish autonomous territory he has threatened to annex.“I am deeply angered by the appointment and the statement, which I find totally unacceptable,” the Danish foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, told Denmark’s TV2 in an interview, adding that the foreign ministry would call in the US ambassador in the coming days “to get an explanation”.Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly said the US needs the resource-rich island for security reasons and has refused to rule out the use of force to secure it.Trump announced early on Monday that he had named the governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as US 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 wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.Landry responded directly to Trump in a post on X: “It’s an honour to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the US.”The vast majority of Greenland’s 57,000 people want to become independent from Denmark, but do not wish to become part of the US, according to a January opinion poll.Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly said the huge Arctic island is not for sale and that it will decide its future itself. “The appointment confirms the continued American interest in Greenland,” Rasmussen said in a statement emailed to AFP. “However, we insist that everyone – including the US – must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”Greenland is strategically located between North America and Europe at a time of rising US, Chinese and Russian interest in the Arctic, where sea lanes have opened up because of climate change.Greenland’s location also puts it on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the US.In August, Denmark summoned the US chargé d’affaires after reports of attempted interference in Greenland.At least three US officials close to Trump were observed in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, trying to identify people for and against a rapprochement with the US.The US opened a consulate in Greenland in June 2020.