WASHINGTON, January 12. /TASS/. Louisiana Governor and US special envoy to Greenland Jeff Landry said that Denmark "reoccupied" the island after World War II in a move that circumvented the rules of the United Nations.
"History matters. The US defended Greenland’s sovereignty during WWII when Denmark couldn’t. After the war, Denmark reoccupied it – side stepping and ignoring UN protocol," Landry wrote on X. He noted that Greenland’s attitude toward the US "should be about hospitality, not hostility."
On December 21, 2025, US President Donald Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the country’s special envoy to Greenland. Following his appointment, Landry said on X that he would seek to bring the island under US control. The statement triggered a diplomatic scandal in Copenhagen that led the Danish Foreign Ministry to summon US ambassador Ken Howery.
On March 13, 2025, Trump stated that the United States would annex Greenland, a self-ruling territory of Denmark. On March 4, he said he would approve of the island’s people’s decision to join the United States. The US leader has repeatedly said that Greenland should become a part of the United States. He threatened to impose high tariffs on Denmark if it did not give up the island. Even during his first term, Trump offered to buy Greenland. Denmark and Greenland rejected the idea.
Greenland is an autonomous region of Denmark. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen, in addition to their allied commitments to NATO, signed the Greenland Defense Treaty. According to it, the United States has committed to defending the island from aggression.