ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Tensions between the US and Denmark over the former's coveting of Greenland were brought to the fore once again when the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller shared a provocative image on X late Saturday showing the Danish territory covered by the US flag.

Captioned “SOON,” the post alludes to the Danish autonomous territory US President Donald Trump has sought to annex and comes in the immediate wake of the US coup against Venezuela’s now-former president, Nicolas Maduro.

SOON pic.twitter.com/XU6VmZxph3

— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) January 3, 2026

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday urged the US to stop “threatening its historical ally,” stating that “it is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland.”

On the same day, Denmark’s ambassador to the US, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, issued a “friendly reminder” regarding the alliance between Washington and the Kingdom of Denmark, asserting, “We are close allies and should continue to work together as such.”

Soerensen emphasized the strategic interdependence of the two nations, noting that “US security is also Greenland’s and Denmark’s security.” He pointed out that “Greenland is already part of NATO” and that both countries “work together to ensure security in the Arctic.”

Highlighting a major increase in regional defense investment, the ambassador stated that the Kingdom of Denmark has “significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts,” committing $13.7 billion in 2025 alone for use in the Arctic and North Atlantic “because we take our joint security seriously.”

The ambassador concluded with a firm diplomatic stance on sovereignty, writing, “And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”

During Trump’s initial term, Katie Miller served as the deputy press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. She subsequently transitioned to the office of then-Vice President Mike Pence, where she held the role of communications director and also served as his press secretary.

“We need it for national security. We have to have it”

Since his 2025 January return to the presidency, Trump has consistently asserted that annexing the resource-laden autonomous region is a “necessity” for US national security, declining to dismiss the possibility of military intervention to achieve the goal.

Last December, Trump tapped Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry to serve as a special envoy to Greenland. Without hesitation, Landry vowed to make the island “a part of the US,” a remark that resulted in Denmark promptly summoning the American ambassador in Copenhagen.

“We summoned the American ambassador to the foreign ministry today for a meeting, together with the Greenlandic representative, where we very clearly drew a red line and also asked for an explanation,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told public broadcaster DR in an interview.

In response to the US, the EU backed Denmark, saying the 27-nation bloc stands in “full solidarity” with its member country.

“Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said on X.

During a late December press conference in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump framed the acquisition of Greenland as a strategic imperative, asserting, “We need Greenland for national security. Not for minerals.”

He continued, “If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” before concluding flatly, “We have to have it.”

The US interest in the territory stems from its strategic location in the Arctic and its abundance of critical minerals essential to high-tech sectors.

Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen replied in a joint statement that the Arctic landmass belongs to Greenlanders.

“You cannot annex another country,” they said. “We expect respect for our joint territorial integrity.”

According to an opinion poll conducted last January, the majority of Greenland's 57,000 citizens favor independence from Denmark but do not wish to become part of the United States.

Updated at 23:15 with Frederiksen's Sunday comments