European leaders issued a joint statement outlining the importance of security in the Arctic but stressing that "Greenland belongs to its people", hours after White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller said that "the official position of the US government... is that Greenland should be part of the United States".
In an interview with CNN on Monday, Miller also said that "The United States is the strength of NATO. In order for the United States to ensure the security of the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, Greenland clearly must be part of the United States.
Greenland has been a Danish territory for more than 300 years.
"NATO has made it clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are committed. We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities and investments to keep the Arctic safe and deter adversaries," the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and Greenland said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
"Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, together with NATO Allies, including the United States, by respecting the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. These are universal principles and we will not stop defending them. The United States is an important partner in this endeavor, as a NATO ally and through the 1951 defense agreement between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States," the U.S. allies said.
On Monday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that a U.S. military move to seize control of Greenland would mean the end of the NATO military alliance.
"If the United States decides to militarily attack another NATO country, then everything stops," Frederiksen told local media on Monday. "That includes our NATO, and therefore the security that has been provided since the end of World War II."
When asked Tuesday whether the U.S. would use military force to seize Greenland, Miller told CNN: "The United States should have Greenland as part of the United States. There is no need to even think or talk about it in the context that you are asking about, about a military operation. No one will fight militarily with the United States over the future of Greenland."