Katie Miller posts Greenland image in US colours after Venezuela strikes; Danish ambassador retorts back | Today News

In the wake of the US strikes on Venezuela and Washington DC taking control of the country, Greenland -- another foreign territory eyed by Donald Trump for long -- became the subject of an exchange between Katie Miller, the wife of the US President's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and Jesper Moeller Soerensen, the Danish ambassador to the US. Denmark rules over Greenland, the largest island in the world.

Katie Miller posted an image of the Greenland map painted in colours of the US flag, with the caption 'SOON'.

Soerensen reacted to this post, saying, "Just a friendly reminder about the US and the Kingdom of Denmark: We are close allies and should continue to work together as such. US security is also Greenland’s and Denmark’s security."

"Greenland is already part of NATO. The Kingdom of Denmark and the United States work together to ensure security in the Arctic. The Kingdom of Denmark has significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts - in 2025 alone, we committed USD 13,7 bn that can be used in the Arctic and North Atlantic. Because we take our joint security seriously," Sorensen added.

"And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark," he also said.

During Trump's first term as US President, Katie Miller was the deputy press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. She has also worked as the director of communications and press secretary for then vice president Mike Pence.

Greenland, which falls within the territory of North America, has been under the control of Denmark for around 300 years despite the Danish mainland being almost 3,000-km away from the island.

Until the middle of the 20th century, Greenland was governed as a Danish colony. The region, during this time, was economically poor, with fishing and subsidies by the Danish government being its primary sources of income.

It was only in 1953 that the region was made a part of Denmark's kingdom and its residents given the status of Danish citizens.

As per a referendum in 1979, the authorities of Greenland have control over most of their policies, while Denmark takes care of its defence and foreign affairs.

Trump has been saying that occupying Greenland would be beneficial to the national security interests of the United States.

"If Russia were to send missiles towards the US, the shortest route for nuclear weapons would be via the North Pole and Greenland," Marc Jacobsen, associate professor at Royal Danish Defence College, told the BBC.

"That's why the Pituffik Space Base is immensely important in defending the US," he added.

The US first invaded Greenland during the Second World After after mainland Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany. Soon after invasion, the US established military as well as radio stations across the island.

US forces have been in Greenland since the Second World War, and the Pituffik Space Base is still under their control.

Denmark signed a defence agreement with the US in 1951, which gave the latter the right to construct and maintain military bases in the territory.

The BBC cited an Arctic Institute paper to reveal that both Russia and China have been amping up their military presence in the Arctic region in recent years. The paper has called for increased US military presence in the Arctic, the publication revealed.

In January 2025, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Danish Foreign Minister, himself said that Copenhagen is wiling to discuss the Greenland situation with the US, going so far as to say that Washington DC has "legitimate" interests in the island.

Besides security concerns, there has been a recent wave of interest in Greenland's critical raw minerals, with the US government showing an interest in buying a stake in Critical Metals Corp, the company developing the island's rare earths mine, as per a Reuters report.