Denmark insists on respect for territorial integrity after Trump appoints envoy to Greenland
Dec 22, 2025, 12:50 AM | Updated: 4:10 am
FILE - Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen speaks during a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Danish foreign minister said Monday his country insists that everyone, including the United States, must respect “the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark” after President Donald Trump announced the appointment of Louisiana’s governor as the U.S. special envoy to Greenland.
Trump called repeatedly during his presidential transition and the early months of his second term for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, a vast, semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and has not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island. In March, Vice President JD Vance visited a remote U.S. military base in Greenland and accused Denmark of underinvesting there.
The issue gradually drifted out of the headlines but, in August, Danish officials summoned the U.S. ambassador following a report that at least three people with connections to Trump had carried out covert influence operations in Greenland. Denmark is a NATO ally of the United States.
On Sunday, Trump announced the appointment of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland. He said that “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.”
Landry wrote in a post on X that “it’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S.”
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a brief statement emailed by his ministry that “the appointment confirms the continued American interest in Greenland.”
“However, we insist that everyone — including the U.S. — must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he added.
Earlier this month, the Danish Defense Intelligence Service said in an annual report that the U.S. is using its economic power to “assert its will” and threaten military force against friend and foe alike.
