US Presidential Advisor Stephen Miller said that Denmark does not have the ability to protect Greenland and that the island should be controlled by someone who can protect and develop it. In Denmark itself, thousands of people are organizing protests against the statements of the White House owner, Donald Trump, towards the region. NATO countries expressed their readiness to support Denmark in its attack on Greenland.
Denmark is militarily too weak to defend Greenland and therefore cannot control the island. Stephen Miller, Homeland Security Advisor to the US President and White House Deputy Chief of Staff, expressed this opinion in a conversation with Fox News.
“Denmark is a small country with a small economy and a small army. They cannot protect Greenland. They cannot control Greenland territory,” the US official said.
According to him, for about 500 years it has been assumed that there has been a principle according to which “the right to control a territory is determined by the ability to protect, improve and inhabit it”. He added that Denmark “has failed in every one of these respects”.
Journalists of the American news portal Mediaite found that with this statement, Miller distorted international law to justify Washington's desire to annex Greenland. In fact, federal regulations prohibit the use of force against sovereign states.
Denmark objected
In Denmark, on January 17, thousands of people held a protest against US President Donald Trump's claim of sovereignty over Greenland, TV2 reported.
“Massive demonstrations in support of Greenland were observed in Aalborg, Aarhus, Odense and Copenhagen,” the broadcaster reported. <...> A large number of protesters gathered in the square in front of the city hall in Copenhagen.”
Protesters sang songs in Greenlandic and chanted slogans such as “Greenland is not for sale” and “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.” After the performance downtown, they held a procession to the American Embassy.
In addition, Danish F-35 fighter jets and French MRTT tankers carried out training flights in southeast Greenland, the press service of the kingdom's armed forces said. The ministry emphasized that training missions in the skies above the island will continue.
NATO prepares for defense
Representatives of several NATO countries have expressed their readiness to defend Greenland in the event of a US invasion. Seven states will send troops to the island, but their total number will be only 34 people, RIA Novosti writes. France has allocated 15 military personnel for this, Germany – 13, Norway and Finland – two each, England and the Netherlands – one each.
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Franken, in an interview with VRT television station, said EU countries had an action plan in case of a US invasion:
“There's always a plan B. There's not much to say about it, but there's always a plan.”
At the same time, he suspected that the United States would attempt a military takeover of the island. Franken said he hopes tensions over Greenland will dissipate before they reach a “tipping point.” According to this politician, an invasion by the US military would lead to the collapse of NATO.
According to VRT, the small number of European troops in Greenland is not a deterrent but a signal that the Allies are willing to support Denmark without increasing military tensions.
Trump then announced on the social network Truth Social that from February 1, a 10% tariff would take effect on countries that “for unknown reasons” had moved their forces to Greenland.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, in an interview with Fox News, accused European countries of “overreacting” to Washington's statements on Greenland. According to him, disputes can be resolved without escalation, but this requires keeping a cool head.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney noted in a press conference that his country and Denmark still have obligations under Article 5 of the NATO charter, according to which members of the alliance must provide military support in case one of them is attacked. He also expressed his belief that decisions about the island's future should be made solely by Greenland and Denmark.
