Denmark to summon US ambassador following Greenland envoy appointment

Following President Donald Trump’s appointment of a special envoy to Greenland, Denmark has summoned the US ambassador.

Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the foreign minister of Denmark, expressed his “deep resentment” over the appointment of Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as the governor of the autonomous Danish territory, which Trump has repeatedly threatened to annex.

Rasmussen expressed concern over Landry’s comments regarding the appointment, which praised plans to “make Greenland a part of the US.”

He pleaded with Washington to respect Danish sovereignty and said the US ambassador would soon be summoned for “an explanation” in response to the statement, which he described as “totally unacceptable.”

Trump has repeatedly stoked the Nordic state by promising to overthrow Greenland, which is largely self-governing but incorporated into Denmark, despite that country’s alliance with NATO.

Trump has argued for security reasons why the island’s abundance of resources is necessary. He noted in March that the US would “go as far as we have to” and has not ruled out the use of military force to seize control.

The enormous Arctic island is not for sale, according to Danish and Greenland’s leaders, who have stated on numerous occasions that they will decide the country’s future.

The majority of Greenland’s 57, 000 people, according to a poll conducted in January, want to secede from Denmark but do not want to join the US.

On Sunday night, Trump appointed Landry as the country’s ambassador and stated in a statement on his Truth Social platform that the governor of Louisiana “understands how crucial Greenland is to our national security and will strongly advance our country’s interests.”

In a post on X, Landry directly addressed Trump and said, “It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position.”

Landry’s appointment, according to Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, “does nothing for us here at home,” adds to the US-Denmark simmering tension.

Following media reports of a US covert influence campaign in Greenland, Denmark summoned the US charge of affairs in August.