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

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically military intervention would not be necessary to take over the Arctic territory 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 a population of 30,000 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 one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks follow a period of growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the American leader's repeated interest to annex Greenland.

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

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

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

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

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to safeguard the alliance, it is logical that Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “no requirement to even think or talk about” a military operation in Greenland, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

Global Responses

These statements followed Trump remarked recently, following events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “very badly”.

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

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

Miller’s comments came after his wife, a conservative commentator, posted a digital image of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

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

Greenland was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the Danish realm. The US has had a strategic installation there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been growing support for self-rule, particularly after revelations about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.

But amid the spectre of acquisition talk, Greenland in March formed a new coalition government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its agreement stating: “Greenland belongs to us.”