A key figure from Donald Trump's top aides has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by questioning Denmark's sovereign claim to the vast Arctic island.
The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be required to take over the northern landmass because “no nation would engage 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,” he incorrectly stated, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.
Miller further proposed that Denmark does not have a valid claim to the region, which is a one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.
These remarks follow a period of increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the American leader's repeated interest to acquire Greenland.
The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an extraordinary meeting to discuss the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.
In his interview, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be achieved without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.
“The core issue is what right does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim?” Miller questioned.
Miller continued: “The US is the dominant force in NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, obviously Greenland should be incorporated into the United States.”
There was, he said “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a military operation in Greenland, adding: “Nobody is going to fight the US over this issue.”
These statements followed Trump remarked recently, following events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “urgently”.
Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, responded by warning that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the end of the defensive pact and “the postwar security order”.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and labeled American rhetoric of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.
The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, posted a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the caption “SOON”.
Asked about the online image, he laughed and said: “It has been the formal position of the US government since the beginning of this administration... The president has been explicit about that.”
Greenland remained a colony until 1953, when it became part of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a strategic installation there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.
Recently, there has been growing support for self-rule, especially following revelations about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.
However, facing the prospect of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new coalition government in a show of national unity, with its agreement stating: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”
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