The appointment of a U.S. special envoy to Greenland has sparked a significant backlash in Europe.
U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his efforts to impose U.S. control over Greenland, appointing Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a ‘special envoy’ to Greenland – an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark:
The U.S. President also repeated his claim that the U.S. ‘needs Greenland’:
It is important to note that the U.S. already has military facilities in Greenland, and the U.S. is in a military alliance with Denmark (NATO), meaning there is no need for the U.S. to own Greenland, as it can already use military facilities and project power in the region.
Unsurprisingly, Trump’s recent remarks generated a significant backlash in Europe, with European officials clearly – and respectfully – pushing back in defence of Greenland and Denmark.
“The prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland have demanded respect for their borders after Donald Trump appointed a special envoy to the largely self-governing Danish territory, which he has said repeatedly should be under US control.
“We have said it very clearly before. Now we say it again. National borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law … You cannot annex other countries,” Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a joint statement.
The two leaders added that “fundamental principles” were at stake. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, and the US should not take over Greenland,” they said. “We expect respect for our common territorial integrity.”
Why it’s important for Canada to stand with Greenland & Denmark
The same framework of ethics and the rule of law that protects Greenland and Denmark also protects Canada. The idea that countries trade for resources rather than seizing them by force, the value placed on voluntary alliances, and the protection of territorial integrity all depend on ensuring that we don’t normalize the changing of borders by force.
At a time when Canada’s vast and resource-rich territory is coveted by others, it would be quite counterproductive if a territory like Greenland were seized through pressure or direct force. Such a development would raise the odds of future aggression towards Canada. Further, given the importance of Greenland and Denmark’s territorial integrity to our European allies – who we would ask to help us in the event the U.S. pushed further in the direction of eroding Canada’s sovereignty – expressing support for Greenland & Denmark would send an important signal to those we hope would stand with us.
Spencer Fernando
If you would like to support my work, you can contribute through PayPal at the button below:
Alternatively, if you would like to support my work on an ongoing basis and gain access to exclusive content, you can subscribe for $6 a month or $72 a year.
Subscribe here.
I am 100% Independent. I don't take government media subsidies, and I never will. My work is funded entirely by readers — no grants, no strings, no obligations to anyone but you.
If you find value in my independent perspective, consider making a donation:
If you want to support my work on a monthly basis and access all of my long-form writing, you can subscribe to my Patreon for $20/month or $216/year.