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

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, also claimed the use of armed force would not be required to take over the Arctic territory because “nobody is going to fight the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just a population of 30,000 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 one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

Miller’s comments 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 called an emergency session to discuss the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller asserted that control over Greenland could be achieved without armed conflict due to its small population.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What legal foundation of their territorial claim?” he asked.

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

He stated there was “no requirement to even think or talk about” a military operation in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US over this issue.”

Global Responses

His comments followed Trump said over the weekend, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “urgently”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by saying that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the collapse of the defensive pact and “post-Second World War security”.

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

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions came after his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, posted a digital image of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

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

The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a military base there, critical to its national missile defense network.

In recent years, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, particularly after disclosures about historical policies of Greenlandic people.

But amid the prospect of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its agreement stating: “Greenland belongs to us.”