🔗 Share this article

A key figure from Donald Trump's top aides has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by questioning Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, also claimed military intervention would not be required to assume control of the Arctic territory because “no nation would engage the United States in combat over the fate of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Greenland has 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Denmark does not have a valid claim to the territory, which is a one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Growing Tensions

These remarks come amid increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the US president’s renewed calls to annex Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has called an emergency session to discuss the bilateral ties with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller told CNN that dominion of the island could be gained without military intervention due to its small population.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

“The real question is on what grounds does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their ownership claim?” Miller questioned.

He added: “As the leading power within the dominant force in NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, 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, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

International Reactions

His comments came after Trump said over the weekend, following events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by warning that an attack by the US a NATO ally 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, urging Trump to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, posted a digital image of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “SOON”.

Asked about the social media post, he responded by stating: “This has represented the formal position of the US government since the start of this presidency... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part of the Danish realm. The US maintains a strategic installation there, important for its national missile defense network.

In recent years, there has been growing support for self-rule, especially following revelations about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.

But amid the prospect of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new unity government in a show of national unity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”