One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by challenging Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland.
The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically military intervention would not be required to take over the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States militarily over the future of Greenland”.
“The idea of military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” he incorrectly stated, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.
He also suggested that Denmark does not have a valid claim to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Danish kingdom.
These remarks come amid increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the American leader's repeated interest to purchase Greenland.
The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an emergency session to discuss 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 core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their territorial claim?” he asked.
He added: “The US is the power of 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 requirement to even consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US over this issue.”
His comments came after Trump said over the weekend, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US desired the territory “urgently”.
Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, responded by saying that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the end of the military alliance and “post-Second World War security”.
The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a strong statement, calling on the US president to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.
Miller’s comments were preceded by his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, posted a map on social media of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.
Asked about the online image, he responded by stating: “It has been the formal position of the US government since the beginning of this administration... The president has been explicit about that.”
Greenland was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part 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 self-rule, particularly after revelations about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.
But amid the prospect of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March formed a new unity government in a show of national unity, with its agreement stating: “Greenland belongs to us.”
