After Trump appoints special envoy to annex Greenland, Denmark summons US envoy to convey ‘deep anger’

After US President Donald Trump announced the appointment of a special envoy to annex Greenland, Denmark on Monday said it would summon the US ambassador to convey its “deep anger”.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he was “deeply angered” by the move and warned the Trump administration to respect Denmark’s sovereignty, according to AFP.

Rasmussen said the special envoy’s appointment and accompanying statements were “totally unacceptable” and said his ministry would call in the US ambassador in the coming days “to get an explanation”.

“As long as we have a kingdom in Denmark that consists of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland, we cannot accept that there are those who undermine our sovereignty,” said Rasmussen.

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Trump on Monday announced the appointment of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to annex Denmark’s Greenland island. Following the announcement, Landry made it clear that Greenland’s annexation will be his top priority.

“Thank you, Donald Trump! It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!” Landry said on X.

The appointment of an envoy or a special envoy to a province or a region is almost unheard of in international relations as envoys are appointed either for a nation or multilateral organisations or specific causes. A sub-national appointment would be seen as blatant interreference in a country’s internal affairs.

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Thank you @realDonaldTrump! It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!

— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) December 22, 2025

Soon after winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump announced he would annex Greenland and threatened Denmark with an invasion if the country’s leadership would not surrender the island to the United States.

Greenland is among the many places that Trump vowed to annex at various points in his second term, such as the Panama Canal, the Gaza Strip, and the nation of Canada. For Greenland and Panama Canal, he repeatedly issued threats of invasions.

In his second term, Trump has unabashedly interfered in European countries’ domestic affairs by either promoting far-right figures to replace moderate governments, such as in Germany where the administration has put its weight behind far-right, neo-Nazi AfD in Germany and far-right National Rally in France.

‘Greenland is our country’

After Trump’s announcement, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the appointment “doesn’t change anything for us here at home”.

“We will determine our future ourselves. Greenland is our country. Greenland belongs to Greenlanders, and territorial integrity must be respected,” Nielsen said in a post on Facebook.

Greenland is an autonomous territory within Denmark. Trump is understood to be eyeing capturing the island because of probable onshore and offshore reserves of natural resources like oil, gas, and critical minerals or rare earth elements.

The Trump administration has ramped up activities that have spooked Denmark. In August, the Danish government summoned the US charge d’affaires after reports of attempted interference in Greenland emerged.

The charge d’affaires was summoned after at least three US officials close to Trump were observed in Greenland’s capital Nuuk trying to identify people for and against a rapprochement with the United States, according to AFP.