Talk of the seizure of Greenland by the U.S. has escalated after the stunning operation to capture Venezuelan President Maduro.

The prime minister of Greenland emphatically rejected any notion that the massive Arctic island might become part of the United States after President Trump’s announcement that he had appointed a special envoy to the territory.

In response to a question from the BBC about the new role of Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, Trump said the US needed Greenland for "national protection" and that "we have to have it". Landry, he said, would "lead the charge" as special envoy to Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Since returning to office last January, US president has repeatedly issued threats against several countries, citing reasons such as national security, drugs, public protests and geopolitical rivalry

The fixation on Greenland once looked eccentric. Now, it seems like the distillation of his whole foreign policy.

After the Trump administration announced it had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and would run the country’s oil reserves, European and Canadian leaders responded with careful statements that ticked two important boxes without actually mentioning the States.

President Donald Trump asserted that the U.S. is “in charge” of Venezuela, threatened the president of Colombia and repeated his desire to take over Greenland in remarks aboard Air Force One on Jan. 4.