Stephen Miller Escalates Assertions Regarding the Acquisition of the Arctic Territory

A key figure from Donald Trump's senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by disputing Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

Stephen Miller, also claimed military intervention would not be necessary to assume control of the Arctic territory because “no nation would engage the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.

“What do you mean 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 region, 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 American leader's repeated interest to annex Greenland.

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

In his interview, Miller asserted that control over Greenland could be achieved without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to assert control 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 part of the US.”

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.”

Global Responses

These statements followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by warning that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the end of the defensive pact and “the postwar security order”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to abandon his “fantasies about annexation” and accused the US of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Background and Present Position

Miller’s comments came after his wife, a conservative commentator, posted a digital image of Greenland under 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 since 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 Danish realm. The US maintains a military base there, important for its ballistic missile early warning system.

In recent years, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, especially following revelations about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.

But amid the spectre of acquisition talk, 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.”