The Prime Ministers of Denmark and Greenland, in a stance against US President Donald Trump’s appointment of a special envoy, demanded respect for their territorial integrity. They insisted that the US won’t take over Greenland and that the sovereignty of the nation is rooted in international law.“We have said it before. Now, we say it again. National borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a joint statement. “They are fundamental principles. You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security.”Trump, on Sunday, announced the appointment of Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland. This has added fuel to the ongoing tensions regarding Trump’s intention of the US annexation of the land. Denmark’s foreign minister, on Monday, told Danish broadcasters that he would summon the US ambassador to his ministry.Further in the statement, Frederiksen’s office stated, “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the US shall not take over Greenland. We expect respect for our joint territorial integrity.”
Who is Jeff Landry?
The governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, has been appointed as the special envoy to Greenland by Trump. While the exact scope of the role is yet unclear, Jeff shall still be holding the governor’s office. Landry is a conservative fighter who, before winning the governor’s race, was appointed as Louisiana’s attorney general in 2016. Throughout his time in office, he became a frequent legal adversary of Democratic leadership, launching numerous courtroom challenges against the agendas of both the Biden administration and his predecessor, John Bel Edwards, including pandemic vaccine mandates, environmental regulations, etc.Being a staunch Trump supporter, Landry had also applauded the deployment of border patrol agents in New Orleans. The mission, known as Operation Catahoula Crunch (or “Swamp Sweep”), set a target of 5,000 arrests of individuals without permanent legal status. Landry framed the move as a necessary strike against “criminal illegal aliens,” The operation sparked intense backlash for its heavy-handed approach and reports of aggressive tactics.In June 2025, Landry led a Louisiana delegation to the International Paris Air Show to boost the state’s aerospace industry and attract global investment.While Landry has little formal history with the Danish government, President Trump recently appointed him as the US Special Envoy to Greenland. Landry described the volunteer role as a mission to “make Greenland a part of the US,” sparking a diplomatic row with Denmark. This move follows Trump’s pattern of using personal loyalists to manage unconventional international priorities.Announcing the appointment of the envoy on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump went on to say that Jeff understands the importance of Greenland for the US’ national security and shall be extending the US’s interest.
Later on Monday, reiterating the security claims, Trump said the US needed Greenland “not for minerals” and claimed Russian and Chinese vessels were operating extensively in the region, and said Landry would “lead the charge.”“We need Greenland for national security,” Trump told reporters on Monday, “And if you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”
Trump Greenland claims
In the initial months of his second term, Trump had expressed a strong interest in taking over the largely self-governing island territory. In August, Danish officials summoned the top US diplomat in Copenhagen following a report that at least three people with connections to Trump had carried out covert influence operations in Greenland.As The Guardian reports, according to a poll in January, the vast majority of Greenland’s 57,000 inhabitants want to become independent from Denmark but have no wish to become part of the US. The territory has had the right to declare independence since 2009.
