Senior White House adviser Stephen Miller has intensified the Trump administration’s rhetoric on Greenland, insisting the Arctic island should fall under U.S. control, a stance that has triggered a rare, unified backlash from several major European leaders and raised fresh concerns about NATO unity.
Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said on Monday that President Donald Trump has been “clear for months” about wanting Greenland to become part of the United States, framing the move as a national security necessity. Speaking to CNN, Miller argued that Greenland should be integrated into America’s broader security architecture, downplaying concerns that such a move could destabilize transatlantic relations.
His comments prompted swift resistance from Europe. Leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in issuing a joint statement on Tuesday reaffirming that Greenland “belongs to its people” and that decisions concerning the island rest solely with Denmark and Greenland. Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and part of the NATO alliance.
“It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the leaders said, pushing back against what they described as increasingly explicit U.S. pressure.
Trump reignited controversy over the weekend by repeating claims that the United States needs to control Greenland to counter growing Chinese and Russian activity in the Arctic. Calling the island “so strategic,” Trump told reporters that Greenland was surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships and suggested Denmark was incapable of securing the territory.
Miller went further, openly questioning Denmark’s sovereignty over the island. “What is the basis of their territorial claim?” he asked during his interview, referring to Greenland as a “colony of Denmark,” despite its internationally recognised status and expanded self-rule.
Although Miller insisted there was “no need” to discuss the issue in military terms, Danish leaders were alarmed by the tone of the remarks. Frederiksen warned that a U.S. takeover of Greenland would effectively signal the end of NATO as it currently exists.
“If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops,” she told Danish broadcaster TV2. “That includes our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.”
Greenland’s strategic importance is long established. The island lies largely within the Arctic Circle and has been central to North American and NATO defence planning since World War II. The U.S. operates the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland under a 1951 defence agreement with Denmark. The base plays a key role in missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance.
Greenland also sits along the GIUK Gap, the Greenland-Iceland-UK corridor, a critical maritime chokepoint used by NATO to monitor Russian naval movements in the North Atlantic. Beyond military considerations, Greenland holds vast deposits of rare earth minerals essential for modern technology, renewable energy systems and defence equipment. The U.S. Geological Survey has also identified potential offshore oil and gas reserves, adding an economic dimension to Washington’s interest.
Despite Miller’s claims, experts have challenged the administration’s portrayal of foreign activity near Greenland. Ulrik Pram Gad, a global security analyst at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said Russian and Chinese vessels do operate in the Arctic but dismissed suggestions that they pose an immediate threat to Greenland itself.
“There are indeed Russian and Chinese ships in the Arctic,” Gad noted, “but these vessels are too far away to see from Greenland with or without binoculars.”
Tensions escalated further after a social media post over the weekend by Katie Miller, Stephen Miller’s wife and a former Trump administration official. She shared an illustrated map of Greenland in U.S. flag colours with the caption “SOON,” a post Danish officials interpreted as a signal that the rhetoric could soon translate into policy action.
Trump added to the unease by telling reporters, “Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days,” a remark that fuelled speculation about imminent diplomatic or strategic moves.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen struck a more cautious tone, stressing the importance of maintaining strong relations with Washington while rejecting any notion of a forced takeover. “We want good cooperation,” he said, adding that there was no expectation of an overnight change in Greenland’s status.
In Washington, bipartisan concern has also emerged. U.S. Representatives Steny H. Hoyer and Blake Moore, co-chairs of the Congressional Friends of Denmark Caucus, warned that talk of annexation was reckless. “Sabre-rattling about annexing Greenland is needlessly dangerous,” they said in a joint statement, emphasizing that any attack on Greenland would amount to an attack on NATO itself.
As the Trump administration continues to frame Greenland as a strategic prize in an increasingly contested Arctic, European leaders appear determined to draw a firm line. Their message is clear: Greenland’s future will not be decided in Washington.
