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President Donald Trump on Monday again argued that the United States needs Greenland for “national security,” increasing tensions with Denmark after appointing a special envoy to the Danish Arctic island.
Since returning to the White House in January, the president has repeatedly said the U.S. “needs” the resource-rich autonomous territory for security reasons and has declined to rule out using force to secure it.
President Trump on Sunday named Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, a move that prompted Denmark to summon the U.S. ambassador.
“We need Greenland for national security. Not for minerals,” the president said at a news conference Monday in Palm Beach, Florida.
“If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” he said.
“We need it for national security. We have to have it,” President Trump added, saying Landry “wanted to lead the charge.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said earlier Monday in a joint statement that Greenland belongs to its people.
“You cannot annex another country,” they said. “We expect respect for our joint territorial integrity.”
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he was “deeply angered” by the appointment and warned Washington to respect Denmark’s sovereignty. The European Union later offered its “full solidarity” with Denmark.
Leaders in Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly said the vast island is not for sale and will decide its own future. While many of Greenland’s 57,000 residents favor eventual independence from Denmark, most do not want to become part of the United States, according to a January opinion poll.
U.S. officials have argued Greenland’s location between North America and Europe gives Washington a strategic advantage in the Arctic. The island has rare earth mineral resources and is increasingly important as polar ice melts and new shipping routes open.
Greenland also sits along the shortest missile route between Russia and the United States. The U.S. operates a military base there and opened a consulate on the island in 2020.