Unrest on the island Trump now suddenly wants to "make friends" on Greenland
Whenever a US representative sets foot on Greenlandic soil, the island is thrown into turmoil. But special envoy Jeff Landry insists that he only wants to make friends here on behalf of Trump. Will the Greenlanders buy it?
18.05.2026, 14:09
18.05.2026, 14:18
dpa
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- US special envoy Jeff Landry has arrived in Greenland for a visit.
- Officially, it is for talks and economic cooperation.
- But the trip is causing skepticism due to Donald Trump's previous ownership claims.
US special envoy Jeff Landry has arrived in Greenland for a visit. Months after a brief escalation in the dispute over US ownership claims to the Arctic island, according to Danish media, he wants to meet head of government Jens-Frederik Nielsen and take part in an economic conference, among other things. The US representative has not been invited.
He described his first impression of the island to the DR television station after arriving in the cloudy capital Nuuk: "I love it - it's great." In view of US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to take over the Arctic island by force if necessary, visits like this are causing unrest among locals.
However, Landry struck a reassuring tone at DR: "I'm just here to build relationships, listen, learn and see if there are opportunities to develop relations between the US, Greenland and Denmark."
Special envoy with a message from Trump in his luggage
Landry also had a message from Trump in his luggage. "He said to me: 'Go there and make as many friends as you can'", said the US American.
According to Danish Greenland expert Ulrik Pram Gad, however, this does not take the tension out of the conflict. "The problem is that it feels like pressure, even if they say nice and friendly things, because Trump's agenda is not off the table," he told DR. The image of the friendly neighbor USA has been destroyed by the president himself.
