The US defended the island during World War II when Copenhagen couldn\u2019t, Jeff Landry has said<\/p>\n
Denmark is occupying Greenland in violation of UN rules, US President Donald Trump\u2019s special envoy, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, has said.
\nOn Sunday, Trump said the US will acquire Greenland \u2013 an autonomous territory of Denmark \u2013 \u201cone way or another.\u201d He also argued that Copenhagen is unable to provide security for the world\u2019s largest island, quipping that it is only defended by \u201ctwo dog sleds.\u201d
\nLater in the day, Landry took to X to note that the US protected Greenland during World War II.
\nUS military facilities were set up on the Arctic island in line with a deal between Washington and Copenhagen in April 1941, a year after Denmark was overrun by Nazi Germany.
\n\u201cHistory matters. The US defended Greenland\u2019s sovereignty during WWII when Denmark couldn\u2019t,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Greenland\u2019s defenses are \u2018two dog sleds\u2019 \u2013 Trump<\/p>\n
After the conflict ended, \u201cDenmark re-occupied it \u2013 side stepping and ignoring UN protocol,\u201d Landry, who was appointed presidential envoy for Greenland last month, claimed.
\nThe Danish ambassador to the US, Jesper Moller Sorensen, responded to the accusations shortly afterwards, insisting that \u201cGreenland has been a part of the Kingdom of Denmark for centuries. That has repeatedly been recognized by US administrations, in the UN and internationally.\u201d
\n\u201cOnly the people of Greenland should decide their future. A vast majority of Greenlanders voted yes to its self-governing status inside the Kingdom [in 2008],\u201d he wrote on X.
\nCopenhagen \u201calways stood shoulder-to-shoulder\u201d with Washington, Moller Sorensen said, noting that Denmark \u201clost more soldiers\u2026 per capita than any other NATO ally\u201d during the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. A total of 43 Danish troops were killed in the country from 2002 to 2014, with seven more in Iraq.
\n\u201cLet\u2019s continue to address security challenges in the Arctic as partners and allies,\u201d the ambassador said.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: \u2018Delusional\u2019 to claim Russia and China pose threat to Greenland \u2013 Danish MP<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s rhetoric regarding Greenland escalated since the US attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro in early January. The Daily Mail reported on Saturday, citing sources, that Trump ordered his senior commanders to draw up a plan for a potential invasion of the Danish autonomous territory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The US defended the island during World War II when Copenhagen couldn\u2019t, Jeff Landry has said Denmark is occupying Greenland in violation of UN rules, US President Donald Trump\u2019s special…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t