As US President Donald Trump has ramped up the campaign to annex Greenland, the European Union has extended ‘full solidarity’ to Denmark and said that territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law.
European Union (EU) chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday extended “full solidarity” to Denmark as US President Donald Trump ramped up the campaign to annex the island of Greenland.
After Trump announced the appointment of a special envoy to Greenland to preside over the island’s annexation, von der Leyen said the security of the Arctic region remained a key priority for the EU and territorial integrity and sovereignty formed the basis of the international law.
“Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law. These principles are essential not only for the European Union, but for nations around the world. We stand in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland,” von der Leyen said on X.
Trump’s appointment of a special envoy for Greenland sparked off fury in Denmark and the country’s government announced it would summon the US ambassador and convey its “deep anger”.
Arctic security remains a key priority for the European Union, and one in which we seek to work with allies and partners.
Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law.
These principles are essential not only for the European Union, but…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 22, 2025
Trump on Monday announced the appointment of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the Special Envoy to Greenland. Following the announcement, Landry made it clear that the island’s annexation will be his agenda.
“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.
While the appointment of an envoy or a special envoy to a province or a region is almost unheard of in international relations and is bound to spark outrage and derail diplomatic ties, the context here makes it worse.
While, normally, a sub-national appointment would be seen as blatant interreference in a country’s internal affairs as envoys are appointed either for a nation or multilateral organisations or specific causes, Trump’s appointment of a special envoy to Greenland is aimed at violating the kingdom’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Soon after winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump announced he would annex Greenland and threatened Denmark —a Nato ally— with an invasion if the country’s leadership would not surrender the island to the United States.
In addition to Greenland, Trump has also vowed to annex the Panama Canal, the Gaza Strip, and the nation of Canada at various points. In the cases of Panama Canal and Greenland, Trump repeatedly threatened invasions.
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