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One of 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.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

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

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Greenland has 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the territory, which is a one-time colonial possession and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Growing Tensions

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

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has convened an emergency session to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

In his interview, Miller asserted that control over Greenland could be achieved without military intervention due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership 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 incorporated into the United States.”

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 militarily.”

International Reactions

These statements followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, responded by warning 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, also made a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to give up his “notions of acquisition” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

The aide's assertions came after his wife, a conservative commentator, posted a digital image of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “SOON”.

Asked about the online image, he laughed and said: “This has represented the formal position of the US government from the beginning of this administration... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

Greenland was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part of the Danish realm. 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 historical policies of Greenlandic people.

But amid the prospect 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.”