🔗 Share this article

One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has increased tensions on Denmark by challenging Copenhagen’s claim to the vast Arctic island.

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, also claimed the use of armed force would not be needed to assume control of the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States militarily over the fate of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the territory, which is a one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

Miller’s comments come amid increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the American leader's repeated interest to acquire Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has convened an extraordinary meeting to examine the bilateral ties with the United States.

In his interview, Miller told CNN that dominion of the island could be achieved without military intervention due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership claim?” Miller questioned.

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests to safeguard the alliance, it is logical that Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, adding: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

International Reactions

His comments followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “very badly”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, responded by saying that an American aggression against a fellow alliance member would mean the end of the defensive pact and “the postwar security order”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

The aide's assertions came after his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a digital image of Greenland draped in a US flag with the caption “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

When questioned on the online image, he responded by stating: “It has been the official stance of the US government since the start of this presidency... Donald Trump has been explicit about that.”

Greenland was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the Danish realm. The US has had a strategic installation there, important for its national missile defense network.

In recent years, there has been growing support for self-rule, particularly after disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.

However, facing the spectre of acquisition talk, Greenland in March formed a new unity government in a show of national unity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”