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One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by questioning Copenhagen’s claim to the vast Arctic island.

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be required to assume control of the northern landmass because “nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the fate of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks follow a period of increasing friction between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to annex Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an emergency session to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller asserted that control over Greenland could be gained without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

“The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership claim?” Miller questioned.

He added: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests to safeguard the alliance, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “no requirement to even think or talk about” a military operation in Greenland, adding: “No country would wage war against the US over this issue.”

Global Responses

These statements followed Trump said over the weekend, following events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “very badly”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by warning that an American aggression against a fellow alliance member would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “the postwar security order”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a strong statement, calling on the US president to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

Miller’s comments came after his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, posted a digital image of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “SOON”.

Asked about the online image, he responded by stating: “It has been the official stance of the US government from the beginning of this administration... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a strategic installation there, important for its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been growing support for Greenlandic independence, especially following revelations about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

But amid the spectre of acquisition talk, Greenland in March established a new coalition government in a show of national unity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”