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A key figure from Donald Trump's senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by disputing Denmark's sovereign claim to the vast Arctic island.

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, also claimed the use of armed force would not be needed to assume control of the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Denmark does not have a legitimate right to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Growing Tensions

Miller’s comments come amid growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to annex Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an extraordinary meeting to discuss the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

In his interview, Miller asserted that dominion of the island could be gained without military intervention due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The real question is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim?” he asked.

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the dominant force in NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests to defend NATO, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

Global Responses

His comments followed Trump remarked recently, following events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by saying that an attack by the US a fellow alliance member would mean the collapse of the defensive pact and “post-Second World War security”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to give up his “notions of acquisition” and accused the US of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

When questioned on the social media post, he responded by stating: “It has been the official stance of the US government from the start of this presidency... The president has been explicit about that.”

The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the Danish realm. The US maintains a military base there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

In recent years, there has been growing support for self-rule, particularly after disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

But amid the prospect of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new coalition government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its founding document declaring: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”