Denmark summons US ambassador over Trump’s Greenland appointment

Denmark has summoned the US ambassador for talks following President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint a special envoy for Greenland, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said on Monday.

Løkke Rasmussen told broadcaster TV2 that the appointment of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as US special envoy to the self-ruling Danish territory was totally unexpected and described Landry’s public remarks as “completely unacceptable.”

Landry, a Republican like Trump, had said in a post on social media that it was “an honor” to serve Trump in making “Greenland a part of the US.”

Løkke Rasmussen said he would demand an explanation in talks with US Ambassador Ken Howery, which he hoped would take place later on Monday or on Tuesday.

Trump announced Landry’s appointment late on Sunday, saying in a post on his Truth Social platform that Landry understood “how essential Greenland is to our national security.”

Landry will continue to serve as governor of Louisiana.

Since returning office in January, Trump has revived an idea from his first term of gaining control of the island — and has not ruled out the use of force. Denmark and the Greenland reject these efforts.

The US president believes Greenland, which is largely autonomous but part of the Kingdom of Denmark, is strategically important both for defence and as a source of mineral wealth.

Greenland – the world’s largest island – is four-fifths covered in ice and home to just under 57,000 people.

Danish media recently reported that the US government is seeking to establish direct contacts with the Greenlandic government. However, it is political practice in Denmark to have both Danish and Greenlandic representatives present at talks concerning foreign, security or defence issues affecting island.

It was not immediately clear why Trump named Landry as special envoy to the island. Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, is about is around 4,600 kilometres south-west of the Arctic island’s capital Nuuk.

Louisiana was once part of France and purchased by the US in 1803 in a $15-million deal that gave the union a large north-south swath from New Orleans on the Gulf of Mexico to Wyoming and North Dakota. Today, the Louisiana Purchase encompasses all or some of 15 US states.

Trump’s predecessors customarily have appointed special envoys primarily for difficult negotiations and crisis situations. Relations with allies, such as NATO partner Denmark, are traditionally managed by US ambassadors.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, struck a note of calm on Monday, saying the news out of Washington was “not a cause for concern.”

In a post on Facebook, Nielsen said the appointment did not change the fact that Greenland controlled its own destiny.

“We are open to cooperation with other countries, including the United States, but with respect and based on our values ​​and aspirations,” he wrote. “We are united and we will never be destroyed.”