India, Dec. 23 -- US President Donald Trump has triggered a diplomatic dispute with Denmark by naming Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland and reiterating his desire to bring the Arctic island under American control.

Responding to a BBC query on the appointment, Trump said the United States required Greenland for "national protection" and asserted that Washington "has to have it." He said Landry would "lead the charge" in his new role as envoy to Greenland, which functions as a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

The move drew an immediate reaction from Copenhagen. Denmark's government said it would summon the US ambassador to seek an explanation, while Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Ras...