🔗 Share this article

One of Donald Trump’s top aides has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by challenging Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be needed to assume control of the Arctic territory because “nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the fate of Greenland”.

“The idea of 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.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the region, which is a former Danish colony and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Growing Tensions

These remarks follow a period of growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to acquire Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an extraordinary meeting to discuss the bilateral ties with the United States.

In his interview, Miller asserted that dominion of the island could be gained without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

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

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to safeguard the alliance, it is logical that Greenland should be incorporated into the United States.”

He stated there was “no need to even think or talk about” a military operation in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

Global Responses

These statements came after Trump remarked recently, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by saying that an American aggression against a fellow alliance member would mean the end of the military alliance and “post-Second World War security”.

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”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

The aide's assertions came after his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “SOON”.

When questioned on the online image, he responded by stating: “It has been the formal position of the US government from the beginning of this administration... The president has been explicit about that.”

Greenland was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a military base there, important for its national missile defense network.

In recent years, there has been growing support for Greenlandic independence, especially following disclosures about historical policies of Greenlandic people.

However, facing the prospect of acquisition talk, Greenland in March established a new coalition government in a show of national unity, with its agreement stating: “Greenland belongs to us.”