Canada Backs ‘Territorial Integrity’ in Talks With Denmark Amid US Focus on Greenland

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada supports “fundamental importance of respect for sovereignty” following the United States’ renewed interest in making Greenland a U.S. territory.

The minister spoke with her Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Dec. 23 and later in the day posted on social media that she had conveyed to him “Canada’s support for the fundamental importance of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“I reaffirmed our friendship and partnership as members of the Arctic Council and NATO, and through the Canadian-EU strategic partnership launched under Denmark’s EU Presidency,” she wrote on X.

Anand’s comments came two days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the appointment of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as Washington’s special envoy to Greenland.

In his announcement on the Truth Social platform on Dec. 21, Trump said Landry recognizes “how essential Greenland is” for U.S. national security and will “strongly advance” America’s interests to ensure the safety of allies and the wider world. Landry, who took office as governor in January 2024, publicly supports the idea.

The president reiterated his stance on Dec. 22, saying his administration’s interest in annexing Greenland is primarily “for national security, not for minerals.”

“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 told reporters from Palm Beach, Florida. “We need it for national security. We have to have it.”

Greenland, an autonomous territory under Danish sovereignty, has long been considered important to the United States due to its strategic location and vast mineral resources, with an estimated 1.5 million tons of rare earth materials.

During his first term, Trump expressed interest in buying Greenland after reports that Denmark was facing financial pressures related to the island. Copenhagen has been providing annual subsidies to Greenland to fund its employment, health care, and education. Although the island has the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement, it remains heavily reliant on Danish subsidies, fishing, and U.S. security.

Responses

Both Greenland and Denmark have consistently rejected any U.S. proposals to sell the territory. After Trump’s Dec. 21 announcement, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded in a social media post saying the island belongs to Greenlanders.

“We have woken up again to a new announcement from the U.S. president. This may sound big, but it does not change anything for us. We decide our own future,” Nielsen wrote.

Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen likewise on Dec. 22 said that he would summon U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Kenneth Howery, who he said had pledged “mutual respect” during a recent visit to Greenland.

“Out of nowhere, there is now a special U.S. presidential representative, who, according to himself, is tasked with taking over Greenland,” Rasmussen told Danish government-owned television station TV2. “This is, of course, completely unacceptable.”

Speaking to Fox News on Dec. 23, Landry said the Trump administration is looking to start a conversation with residents of Greenland, while stressing that the United States is not seeking to “go in there trying to conquer anybody” or “take over anybody’s country.”

Landry added that the discussion with Greenlanders will focus on understanding what they want moving forward.

“What are they looking for? What opportunities have they not gotten? Why haven’t they gotten the protection that they actually deserve?” he told the outlet.

Arctic Security

The United States’ move has not sat well with France and the European Union either.

French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed his support for Greenland’s sovereignty on Dec. 23, saying that the territory “belongs to its people,” while Denmark is “its guarantor.”

“I join my voice to that of Europeans in expressing our full solidarity,” he wrote on X.

A day earlier, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU’s executive commission, posted on social media expressing support, saying the bloc will “stand in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland.”

“Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law,” she wrote, adding that Arctic security remains a “key priority” for member countries and one in which they seek to work with allies and partners.

Foreign Minister Anand in her Dec. 23 social media post echoed the same sentiment, saying the security of the Arctic region is a “core priority” for Ottawa.

The minister said she looked forward to visiting the Greenland community of Nuuk to open a consulate early next year.

Melanie Sun, Rachel Roberts, Reuters, and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.