President Donald Trump told reporters on December 22 that his appointed special envoy would “lead the attack.”
EU and Denmark express strong opposition to President Trump’s Greenland envoy
President Donald Trump has appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the US special envoy to Greenland, prompting intense criticism from Denmark and the European Union.
President Donald Trump has renewed his call for the occupation of the vast Danish-ruled island of Greenland, adding that a special envoy he has appointed to the Arctic island will “lead the attack.”
On December 22, when President Trump announced that the United States would build a “new ‘Golden Fleet'” of “Trump-class” battleships, he told reporters, “We need Greenland for our national security,” adding, “You look up our shores, you look down, you see Russian and Chinese ships everywhere. We need that for our national security. We have to have it.”
President Trump’s comments came shortly after he appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the United States’ special envoy to Greenland. President Trump suggested he appointed Landry because “he’s a deal-maker type of guy.”
In response to Landry’s appointment, Denmark was furious at President Trump’s aim to seize the island and summoned the US ambassador.
“Out of nowhere, we now have a Special Representative of the President of the United States who, according to him, is tasked with taking over Greenland. Of course, this is completely unacceptable,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told TV2.
At a December 22 press conference, President Trump denied Denmark’s claims to Greenland.
“Denmark has not spent a penny on the ground and there is no military protection,” the president said. “They say Denmark was there by boat 300 years ago or something. Well, I think we were there by boat too.”
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 dependent on fishing and Danish subsidies. The region’s strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a key hub for the United States’ ballistic missile defense system, while its mineral wealth has increased U.S. interest in reducing dependence on Chinese exports.
In a statement responding to Landry’s appointment, Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said the island would decide its own future.
President Trump also made it clear that the United States has no interest in Greenland for reasons related to its mineral resources.
“We have so many mines for minerals, oil and everything else, we have more oil than any other country in the world,” Trump said. “Everything has to be resolved.”
Contributed by: Reuters
