President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Greenland on Friday proposed the island could play a critical role in solving the energy crisis sparked by the Strait of Hormuz‘s closure.
After returning from a three-day trip to the island, Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA) tied Greenland to the U.S.’s war with Iran. He suggested its rich oil reserves could alleviate global energy shortages and surging costs that occurred after the war shut down the Strait of Hormuz, the Middle Eastern waterway for much of the world’s oil and gas supply. Trump wants “a deal” with Greenland to develop its natural resources, Landry said, musing that oil production could be up and running on the island “within 10 months or so.”
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“It would bring wealth to them, just like oil and gas brought wealth to Louisiana and our nation,” the special envoy said during a Fox News interview. “The president understands that; he wants a deal. Greenland needs the deal. We could be — Greenland could be exporting 2 billion barrels of oil a day right now.”
“Think about what that would mean,” Landry added. “Think about what kind of pressure that would relieve in the Strait of Hormuz. Think about what kind of leverage that would give to the Western Hemisphere and America. Think about the help that would give to Europe right now.”
His words come as the persistent blockage of the strait continues to derail the world’s energy supply, spiking gas and oil prices. Asia has been particularly hard-hit, but the crisis has harmed Europe and the United States as well.
Whether Greenland will actually play a role in resolving the debacle remains to be seen.
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory in the Arctic waters that is under Denmark’s jurisdiction. Throughout his second term, Trump has repeatedly floated purchasing the island or seizing it for national security purposes to blunt China and Russia’s push for influence in the Arctic, as the Danish territory is prized for its strategic geopolitical location, depository of oil, and wealth of critical minerals.
“Greenland is necessary, not for us — it’s necessary for international security,” Trump said on his Inauguration Day. “You have Russian boats all over the place, you have China’s boats all over the place — warships — and [Denmark] can’t maintain it.”
His ambitions have sparked intense condemnation from Danish officials. Landry claimed Friday that Greenlanders are open to a takeover, despite protests during his visit. The special envoy defended Trump’s dreams, describing him as “the only president in the last 30 or 40 years to actually care about doing something and putting Greenland on the map.”
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“These are people who are fiercely independent,” Landry said. “But they also — the one thing that I did get, Charlie, they do love and embrace the United States. So, contrary to what you read in the paper, they appreciate and want more U.S. involvement in Greenland.”
“I think the most pressure that we felt from a pushback didn’t come from Greenland,” he added. “It basically came from the Danes, which is simply disturbing and disappointing. I think it is time for them to get to the table and get a deal done.”
