🔗 Share this article Stephen Miller Escalates Threats Regarding the Acquisition of the Arctic Territory A key figure from Donald Trump's senior advisors has increased tensions on the Danish government by challenging Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland. Force Deemed Unnecessary The president’s deputy chief of staff, also claimed the use of armed force would not be required to take over the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”. “The idea of military action against Greenland? Greenland has 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000. He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and remains part 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 annex Greenland. A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has convened an extraordinary meeting to discuss the bilateral ties with the United States. Speaking to media, Miller asserted that control over Greenland could be gained without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents. Challenging Copenhagen's Rule “The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership claim?” he asked. Miller continued: “The US is the dominant force in NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests to safeguard the alliance, it is logical that 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 militarily.” International Reactions His comments followed Trump remarked recently, following events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “very badly”. The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by warning that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “post-Second World War security”. Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a strong statement, urging Trump to abandon his “fantasies about annexation” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”. Background and Present Position The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, a conservative commentator, posted a digital image of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”. When questioned on the online image, he responded by stating: “This has represented the formal position of the US government since the start of this presidency... The president has been very clear about that.” Greenland was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the Danish realm. The US maintains a strategic installation there, important for its ballistic missile early warning system. Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, particularly after revelations about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people. But amid the spectre of acquisition talk, Greenland in March established a new unity government in a show of national unity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”