Stephen Miller Escalates Assertions to Take Over Greenland

A key figure from Donald Trump's top aides has increased tensions on the Danish government by disputing Copenhagen’s claim to the vast Arctic island.

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be needed to take over the northern landmass because “nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland”.

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

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Danish kingdom.

Growing Tensions

Miller’s comments follow a period of increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the US president’s renewed calls to purchase Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an emergency session to discuss the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

In his interview, Miller told CNN that dominion of the island could be achieved without military intervention 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 ownership claim?” Miller questioned.

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

There was, he said “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a military operation in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

International Reactions

His comments came after Trump remarked recently, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “urgently”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, responded by warning that an American aggression against a fellow alliance member would mean the collapse of the defensive pact and “the postwar security order”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

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

When questioned on 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 explicit about that.”

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

Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, especially following revelations about historical policies of Greenlandic people.

But amid the spectre 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.”