🔗 Share this article

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

Force Deemed Unnecessary

Stephen Miller, also claimed the use of armed force would not be required to take over the Arctic territory because “no nation would engage the United States militarily over the fate of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Greenland has a population of 30,000 people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Denmark does not have a legitimate right to the region, which is a one-time colonial possession and remains part of the Danish kingdom.

Growing Tensions

Miller’s comments come amid growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the American leader's repeated interest to acquire Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has called an extraordinary meeting to discuss the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be gained without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

“The real question is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim?” he asked.

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the dominant force in NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, obviously Greenland should be incorporated into the United States.”

He stated there was “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, adding: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

Global Responses

These statements followed Trump said over the weekend, following events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, responded by saying that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the collapse of the defensive pact and “post-Second World War security”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a strong statement, calling on the US president to give up his “notions of acquisition” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

Miller’s comments came after his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the caption “SOON”.

When questioned on the online image, he responded by stating: “This has represented the formal position of the US government from the beginning of this administration... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

Greenland was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a strategic installation there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for Greenlandic independence, particularly after disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.

But amid the spectre of acquisition talk, Greenland in March established a new unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”