Holiday Ayo - US President Donald Trump has reiterated his ambition to control Greenland. He said the autonomous Danish territory is a strategic necessity for US national security.

Trump made this statement on Monday (December 22nd) after appointing Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the US special envoy for Greenland.

Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly stated that "Uncle Sam" needs Greenland.

He even stated that he would not rule out the use of force to control the territory, as reported by AFP.

"We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals," Trump said at a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.

Trump argued that Greenland's geographic position is strategic due to the increasing military activity of other countries in the Arctic region.

"If you look at Greenland, walk along its coastline, you'll see Russian and Chinese ships everywhere," Trump said.

"We need it for national security; we have to have it," he continued.

Meanwhile, Landry, who had just been appointed as special envoy, publicly declared his determination to make the Danish territory part of the US. The move immediately drew strong condemnation from Denmark.

Denmark summoned the US Ambassador to demand an official explanation.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen emphasized in a joint statement that Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people.

"No country can annex another country," they both said.

Both also reiterated their hope that the US would respect the shared territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen expressed his deep anger at Washington's move and emphasized that Danish sovereignty must be respected.

Rasmussen also called the appointment of a special envoy for Greenland and Trump's statement completely unacceptable.

The European Union subsequently expressed its full support for Denmark. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa affirmed that sovereignty and territorial integrity are fundamental principles of international law.

The Danish and Greenlandic governments have consistently maintained that the world's largest island is not for sale and has the right to determine its own future.