Jeff Landry, the newly appointed United States Special Envoy to Greenland, said on Tuesday that his country is looking to begin a conversation with residents of the semi-autonomous Danish territory about the best way forward for the strategically important island.
Landry said the Trump administration isn’t going to “go in there trying to conquer anybody” or try to “take over anybody’s country.”
“Well, I think our discussions should be with the actual people in Greenland — the Greenlanders,” Landry told Fox News.
“What are they looking for? What opportunities have they not gotten? Why haven’t they gotten the protection that they actually deserve?”
Landry, the Governor of Louisiana, was named the Special Envoy to Greenland this week.
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What Denmark said on Landry’s appointment
Reacting to Landry’s appointment, Denmark’s foreign minister told Danish broadcasters that he would summon the US ambassador to his ministry.
”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 Monday. “They are fundamental principles. You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security.”
Trump repeats US need Greenland
The development came a day after Trump renewed his push to make Greenland a part of the US, citing national security.
“We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals…. If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need it for national security. We have to have it,” Trump said on Monday.
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Not for minerals
Trump also clarified that the US is not interested in Greenland for its mineral wealth.
“We have so many sites for minerals and oil and everything. We have more oil than any other country in the world,” Trump said. “We’ll have to work it all out.”
Ever since his presidential election win in November 2024, Trump has been obsessed with acquiring Greenland, which is an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Trump has repeatedly said the US needs to take over Greenland for the sake of national security and has refused to rule out military action to achieve it.
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This is despite the fact that Denmark is a founding member of NATO along with the US.
EU stands with Denmark and Greenland
On Monday, after Trump announced the appointment of US special envoy to Greenland, the EU said it stands in solidarity with Denmark and Greenland.
“We continue to stand in solidarity with Denmark and Greenland. Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Any changes to that status are for Greenlanders and Danes alone to decide,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a post on X.
“We expect all our partners to respect their sovereignty and territorial integrity and to abide by their international commitments, enshrined inter alia in the United Nations Charter and the North Atlantic Treaty,” she added.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed the remarks, saying Arctic security remained a key priority for the EU.
“Arctic security remains a key priority for the European Union, and one in which we seek to work with allies and partners,” she said.
“Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law. These principles are essential not only for the European Union, but for nations around the world,” she said on X.
“We stand in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland,” she added.
