EU backs Denmark after Trump appoints Greenland envoy, reigniting sovereignty dispute
The European Union declared “full solidarity” with Denmark after President Donald Trump named Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland, a move that rekindled tensions over U.S. ambitions for the vast Arctic territory that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
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“Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said on X, aligning the 27-nation bloc with Copenhagen as it protested Washington’s latest overture toward Greenland.
Trump has repeatedly argued Greenland should become part of the United States on national security grounds and because of its mineral resources. Landry, who took office as Louisiana governor in January 2024, has praised the idea and embraced the new role, calling it “an honor” and writing on X that he would serve “in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the US.” He said the appointment would not affect his gubernatorial duties.
The White House did not respond immediately to requests for comment. On Truth Social, Trump said Landry “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.”
Denmark and Greenland, which is largely self-governing but remains within the Danish realm, have consistently rejected U.S. acquisition talk. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he would summon the U.S. ambassador to Copenhagen, condemning both the envoy appointment and Landry’s stated objective.
“I am deeply upset by this appointment of a special envoy. And I am particularly upset by his statements, which we find completely unacceptable,” Lokke Rasmussen told Denmark’s TV 2. In an emailed statement to Reuters, he added: “We insist that everyone – including the US – must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, emphasized the island’s right to chart its own course. “We have woken up again to a new announcement from the US president. This may sound big, but it does not change anything for us. We decide our own future,” he wrote on Facebook.
Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, said naming a U.S. envoy was not inherently problematic, but criticized the mission as stated. “The problem is that he’s been given the task of taking over Greenland or making Greenland part of the United States, and there’s no desire for that in Greenland,” she told Reuters. “There is a desire to respect the future that a majority in Greenland wants, namely to remain their own country and develop their independence over time.”
The latest flare-up comes as Denmark, a NATO ally, has moved to bolster Greenland’s defense amid U.S. concerns about Arctic security and great-power competition. Greenland, home to about 57,000 people and a key waypoint along the shortest route between Europe and North America, plays a strategic role in U.S. ballistic missile defense and Arctic operations.
Greenland has held the legal right to declare independence since 2009, though its economy relies heavily on fishing and Danish subsidies. The island’s mineral prospects and its location at the nexus of shifting Arctic shipping lanes have drawn increasing international interest.
The EU’s swift support underscores the diplomatic stakes as Washington and Copenhagen navigate the balance between security cooperation and sovereignty. For now, Denmark says it will confront the issue formally through the U.S. envoy in Copenhagen, while Greenland’s leaders maintain that any decision about the island’s status lies solely with its people.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
