One of Donald Trump’s top aides has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by questioning Copenhagen’s claim to the vast Arctic island.
Stephen Miller, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be required to assume control of the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.
“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just a population of 30,000 people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.
He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the territory, which is a one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.
Miller’s comments come amid increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the American leader's repeated interest to acquire Greenland.
The Danish foreign policy committee has called an emergency session to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.
Speaking to media, Miller asserted that dominion of the island could be gained without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.
“The real question is on what grounds does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim?” he asked.
He added: “The US is the dominant force in NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to safeguard the alliance, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”
He stated there was “no need to even think or talk about” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”
These statements came after Trump remarked recently, following events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “urgently”.
The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, responded by saying that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the end of the military alliance and “the postwar security order”.
The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.
Miller’s comments came after his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, shared a digital image of Greenland under 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... The president has been explicit about that.”
The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part of the Danish realm. The US has had a strategic installation there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.
Recently, there has been growing support for self-rule, particularly after revelations about historical policies of Greenlandic people.
But amid the spectre of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March formed a new coalition government in a show of national unity, with its founding document declaring: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”
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