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

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically military intervention would not be required to take over the Arctic territory because “no nation would engage the United States militarily over the fate of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” he incorrectly stated, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks follow a period of increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the US president’s renewed calls to acquire Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has called an extraordinary meeting to discuss the bilateral ties 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 real question is what right does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership claim?” Miller questioned.

Miller continued: “The US is the power of 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 consider or discuss” a military operation in Greenland, adding: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

Global Responses

These statements followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “urgently”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, responded by saying that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the end of the military alliance and “the postwar security order”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

Miller’s comments were preceded by his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, posted a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the caption “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

When questioned on the social media post, he laughed and said: “This has represented the formal position of the US government from the start of this presidency... The president has been very clear about that.”

The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part of the kingdom of Denmark. The US has had a strategic installation there, important for its ballistic missile early warning system.

In recent years, there has been growing support for self-rule, particularly after revelations about historical policies of Greenlandic people.

But amid the prospect of acquisition talk, Greenland in March formed a new unity government in a show of national unity, with its founding document declaring: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”