US President Donald Trump appoints Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland

(From left) US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Pic/Getty Images

US President Donald Trump has announced the appointment of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, signalling renewed attention to the strategically significant territory.

Trump said the Louisiana Republican "understands how essential Greenland is to our national security, and will strongly advance our country's interests for the safety, security, and survival of allies and the World."

The appointment comes against the backdrop of Trump's long-standing interest in Greenland, which he first publicly expressed during his first term when he floated the idea of purchasing the island from Denmark.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said his country insists that everyone, including the US, must respect "the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark" after Trump's announcement of a special envoy to Greenland, whose goal would be to "make the territory part of the US".

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